DJ TILLU

Che buffo, scellerato film. E che buffo, sconclusionato personaggio. Il riccioluto attore (Siddhu Jonnalagadda) è irresistibile, si diverte come un pazzo - noi con lui -, e si intuisce che vorrebbe sostituire lo stile di vita di Tillu al proprio. Vogliamo biasimarlo? Il primo tempo è una chicca di sciagurata, variopinta demenzialità. La storia è allegramente assente. Sullo schermo si susseguono sequenze il cui obiettivo è solo quello di caratterizzare il protagonista. Nel secondo tempo la trama bussa alla porta e si fa strada fra le eccentricità di Tillu. La sceneggiatura cerca di sostenerla, un po' intimidita da tanta bizzarria, con esiti non sempre soddisfacenti. Ingenuità e forzature si moltiplicano. Il carismatico Siddhu regge la pellicola sulle spalle: quando la camera si concentra su di lui, il film si accende e noi ringraziamo beati. Quando la camera lo trascura, DJ Tillu purtroppo perde mordente e vivacità. 

Da segnalare la figura di Radhika: le maliarde sensuali e pericolose non sono molto comuni nel cinema indiano. Neha Shetty parte col botto, per poi gradualmente spegnersi. Peccato. Impagabile l'attore che interpreta il padre di Tillu, e delizioso il cameo di Pragathi. Una menzione anche per i dialoghi, redatti dallo stesso Siddhu - talento poliedrico: recita, collabora alla sceneggiatura, presta la voce ad un brano, ed è pure carino. Apprezzabile in larga parte il contributo del cast tecnico: fotografia, costumi, scenografie e soprattutto montaggio. La colonna sonora è piena di brio e conquista al primo ascolto. Il commento musicale, che non è solo strumentale, non è purtroppo disponibile in YouTube, a differenza delle canzoni considerate ufficiali. Ragione in più per visitare il giocoso mondo di Tillu.

TRAMA

Tillu è convinto che la musica sia la sua strada. Si atteggia a DJ, fonda una band sgangherata, allieta le feste del quartiere causando grande imbarazzo ai genitori. Ammaliato dalla voce suadente di Radhika, intreccia una relazione con lei. Ma Radhika, all'insaputa di Tillu, è già impegnata. Quando il fidanzato scopre la tresca, cominciano i guai. Grossi. 

ASSOLUTAMENTE DA NON PERDERE

* I manierismi di Tillu. Delittuosamente godibili. Tutto in stupefacente sincronia: gesti, movimenti, espressioni, battute. Siddhu si abbandona con incoscienza al personaggio senza mai risultare eccessivo. 

RECENSIONI

The Hindu:

'Director Vimal Krishna helms a laughter riot populated with quirky, morally ambiguous characters. DJ Tillu takes a fresh look at the idea of a ‘mass’ film. (...) Director Vimal Krishna (...) ensures that the narrative is packed with madcap fun moments. (...) Radhika is designed as a morally ambiguous character whose moves evoke distrust not just in Tillu, but also us, the viewers. Is she a victim of liaisons that went wrong, an opportunist, or a mix of both? (...) The first hour is a riot anarrated with sharp humour and Tillu getting the best lines. It nearly becomes a one-man show as Siddhu gives it his all to play the eccentric character, owning the swag. It is also a physically demanding character, where his body language adds to the fun. He does this with no inhibition, unafraid to look silly in a few places. Nothing Tillu says or does is there just for fun. The dance he does in front of an apartment complex and casual conversations in scenes that seem to be randomly placed at first, all come in handy to push the story forward. When Radhika tells him to stop looking at her through the compass of morality, she is speaking to all those watching the film. The narrative, while showing how glamorous women are viewed as objects of lust, neither judges her nor gives her a clean chit. Neha Shetty pulls off this complex character well. Accentuating Tillu’s madcap world is Sricharan Pakala and Thaman’s vibrant music, cinematographer Saiprakash Ummadisingu’s almost psychedelic visual canvas and Avinash Kolla’s production design. (...) The fun wears off in the later portions. (...) However, the film redeems itself to an extent'.

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo, 13.02.22

Recensione integrale

Deccan Chronicle: ***

'It’s a character-driven narrative. (...) Siddhu’s dressing style, his body language, his antics and gestures set the mood and lift the scenes. (...) The director keeps the audience entertained for the entire first half. (...) The crime comedy loses steam during the second half. There were one too many characters. Had the filmmaker stuck to the main characters, the film would have been more impactful. (...) Though Neha Shetty is adequate, her character lacks panache. (...) The background score is one of the saving graces and a great add-on. Siddhu needs to be appreciated for pulling off the title role with elan. He was apt for the part and does his role convincingly while creating an impression as a writer too. On the whole, DJ Tillu is a breezy entertainer that has elements of fun and quirkiness. The writing was cool, but goes overboard towards the end. Watch out for Siddhu’s characterisation and performance'. 

12.02.22

Recensione integrale

Cinema Hindi: ***

Punto di forza: l'incontenibile Siddhu, la follia.

Punto debole: dal rapimento dello smemorato Tillu la sceneggiatura mostra troppe debolezze e il divertimento diventa intermittente.

SCHEDA DEL FILM

Cast:

* Siddhu Jonnalagadda - Tillu     

* Neha Shetty - Radhika

* Prince Cecil - Shannon

* Brahmaji - ispettore di polizia

* Pragathi - giudice

Regia: Vimal Krishna

Sceneggiatura: Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Vimal Krishna

Dialoghi: Siddhu Jonnalagadda

Colonna sonora: Sricharan Pakala, Ram Miriyala. Commento musicale di Thaman S. Il brano Nuvvala (Female version) è suggestivo. La versione maschile è interpretata da Siddhu Jonnalagadda. Alzate il volume al massimo per ascoltare Tillu Anna DJ Pedithe. 

Fotografia: Saiprakash Ummadisingu

Montaggio: Navin Nooli

Scenografia: Kolla Avinash

Lingua: telugu

Anno: 2022

Trailer (non rende affatto giustizia al film)

RASSEGNA STAMPA

* I want to be a star of a 100-crore film in the next three years, Sangeetha Devi Dundoo, The Hindu, 5 febbraio 2022. Intervista concessa da Siddhu Jonnalagadda:

'What was the origin of the character Tillu?

At first, it was a simple story of a girl who has had a couple of questionable associations and a guy. After much brainstorming, we felt the need to have a crazy, vibrant and loud character from whose perspective the story can be narrated. We thought of a Telugu stand-up comedian; but stand-up comedy is restricted to a few urban pockets of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Vimal [Krishna] and I then hit upon the idea of a wacky DJ. Tillu thinks he is the man, though he is far from a successful DJ. He is someone who masks his inferiority complex with a show of superiority complex. (...)

During the trailer launch, you stated that Tillu’s characterisation stemmed from the people you observed while growing up in Secunderabad. Can you explain?

I grew up in areas near Padmarao Nagar. Youngsters in Warasiguda and Chilkalguda talk like Tillu (the Hyderabadi Telangana dialect). We wanted Tillu to reflect on how these youngsters speak and how they handle things... Each one is his own boss and for no reason, there is the rivalry between gangs from each street. These boys are also more chilled out than those in, say, Banjara Hills. (...)

You are an engineer and an MBA diploma holder; during your years of struggle in cinema, did you consider taking up a steady corporate job?

Not at all; in fact, I turned down corporate jobs. Deep within, I knew I was in the right place. After learning the basics in four to five years, I was determined to swim ahead rather than go back.

Was there a decisive moment when you decided to enter cinema?

It was not like I aspired to be an actor since childhood. I did not train in acting, writing or editing. I began doing all these things out of desperation. I did not want my parents to take a huge loan to send me to the US and then me working in a corporate job to repay it. That path did not excite me. Acting happened when I spotted an audition call. Having been around for more than a decade, without being too modest I would say it is a god-given gift to be in a creative field.

What are your plans for the near future?

I want to be a next generation actor who can have a wide reach. I want to be a star of a ₹100-crore film in the next five years. No, let’s make that three years'.

CURIOSITÀ

* Riferimenti al cinema indiano: Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, Katrina Kaif, Bhumika Chawla, Bunty Aur Babli, Prabhas, Pokiri, Prakash Raj.

KADAISI VIVASAYI

Scrivo questa recensione con un certo imbarazzo.

Alla prima visione di Kadaisi Vivasayi, dopo l'inizio un po' faticoso, il film mi aveva catturato con le sue suggestioni e i suoi silenzi. La sua pacatezza. Ammiravo rapita i panorami, le danze sinuose dei pavoni. I gesti semplici di Maayandi, il solitario protagonista dal portamento composto e quasi nobile (interpretato non da un attore ma da un abitante del villaggio). La sua lenta quotidianità. La sua frugalità. La sua vita in comunione con la natura. La scheletrica trama era riuscita in qualche modo a suscitare il mio interesse. Apprezzavo il tono in sordina del messaggio, anzi, dei messaggi.

Alla seconda visione, la fatica ha preso il sopravvento. E la noia. Cercavo i pregi, ma non sono più riuscita a scorgerli. Da qui l'imbarazzo: come esprimere un giudizio finale su questa pellicola?

Le storie a sfondo rurale sono molto amate dalle industrie cinematografiche a sud di Mumbai, in particolare da quella in lingua tamil. Nella maggior parte dei casi si incorre in prodotti semplicistici e pesantemente formulaici. Vi sono anche drammi con connotazioni più aggressive. O commedie alleggerite da bonario umorismo. 

KV rientra nella categoria dei titoli migliori. Il regista ci cala nella natura per indurci ad assaporarla e a provarne nostalgia. Di più: ci cala nell'interiorità dell'innocente Maayandi, affinché anche noi possiamo vedere e amare la natura come la vede e la ama lui, e capire meglio le sue ragioni. KV è significativo. Sfiora con garbo temi quali discriminazione castale, ingiustizia, ambiente. Senza drammatizzare. Però il ritmo è troppo lento. Sembra di assistere ad un documentario sulla vita rurale tradizionale in via di estinzione, sui suoi riti religiosi e le sue usanze sociali. KV è poetico ma troppo dimesso.

TRAMA

Maayandi è l'ultimo contadino del suo villaggio. Gli altri abitanti hanno venduto le terre. Per indurre anche lui a vendere, gli viene tesa una trappola. Maayandi finisce in prigione, ma il suo candore e la sua integrità conquisteranno il giudice.

RECENSIONI

The Hindu:

'What sets KV apart is the treatment given to the subject, and that is where Manikandan’s craft comes into play. (...) The key roles in this film are not played by actors, or at least by those who are familiar to audiences. This is clearly done for the purpose of authenticity. (...) The central character (...) is played by a person who cannot be anyone else but an inveterate farmer himself. Other supporting roles are also essayed by locals of a village near Usilampatti, where the film is set in. What differentiates these characters and actors from typical Tamil films with a rural backdrop, is that these are not simply bystanders or spectators who occupy screen space, but look and behave like real people. (...) It is not just realism or emotional intrigue that are used by Manikandan to make his point. He relies on surrealism in Vijay Sethupathi’s character as Ramaiya'.

Srinivasan Ramani, 08.02.22

Recensione integrale

Film Companion:

'Usually, the emotions in a film come from the story, the characters. Here, the emotions come from a higher plane. It’s almost as if the plot does not matter. (...) The screenplay works as it should. It sets up the world we are entering. (...) All of this is from the classic screen-writing manual. But here’s the difference. Instead of leading us from one event to another event, the screenplay leads us from one big thought or metaphor to another big thought or metaphor. (...) It’s almost like the story is functioning on its own, without its protagonist. (...) There is a lot of gentle comedy. (...) But nothing is loud and everything is organically part of a whole. (...) Kadaisi Vivasayi is a beautiful example of how to talk about important things without giving boring lectures. (...) The way they are woven into the screenplay, we don’t even get lengthy conversations. (...) Manikandan is saying: Look, these things are important to me, but I don’t want to hit you on the head because your priorities may be different. And that is the best way to make a message movie. (...) Vijay Sethupathi has a small role but he is superb. He brings certain dimensions to the character that I have never seen on his face on screen. (...) Nallandi is a perfect fit. (...) Manikandan’s cinematography is one with the earth, one with the soil. (...) Manikandan does not manipulate us. These same emotions could have been played at a high pitch, with a lot of melodrama. But Manikandan does not do that. He does not sentimentalise this story. (...) We feel the film because Manikandan lets the emotions build slowly naturally and enter us like air. (...) This is a film with utmost dignity. (...) Manikandan uses the score minimally - which shows how much confidence he has in his material and in his own talent as a director'. 

Baradwaj Rangan, 10.02.22

Recensione integrale

Cinema Hindi: sono molto indecisa. Vada per ***

Punto di forza: l'autenticità

Punto debole: la lentezza

SCHEDA DEL FILM

Cast:

* Nallandi - Maayandi, agricoltore

* Vijay Sethupathi - Ramaiya, vagabondo

* Raichal Rabecca - giudice

* Yogi Babu - proprietario dell'elefante

Sceneggiatura, fotografia e regia: M. Manikandan

Colonna sonora: Santhosh Narayanan, Richard Harvey

Lingua: tamil

Traduzione del titolo: the last farmer

Anno: 2022

Award: 

* National Award:  miglior film in lingua tamil e menzione speciale per Nallandi (aggiornamento del 24 agosto 2023)

Trailer

CURIOSITÀ

* Nallandi è purtroppo deceduto il primo febbraio 2022, dieci giorni prima della distribuzione di KV.

* M. Manikandan ha anche prodotto il film, Vijay Sethupathi lo ha distribuito.

BADHAAI DO

Da qualche anno a questa parte anche il cinema popolare hindi ha iniziato a raccontare storie con protagonisti omosessuali o transessuali. La svolta è significativa per due ragioni. Innanzitutto perché, a differenza del cinema d'autore - che in India non beneficia di una distribuzione capillare -, il cinema popolare raggiunge un vastissimo bacino di utenza, in particolare proprio quell'ampio segmento di pubblico dalla mentalità più tradizionalista. In secondo luogo perché, a differenza delle pellicole prodotte in precedenza - nelle quali i personaggi omosessuali o transessuali erano secondari, o comunque l'argomento veniva trattato in modo grossolano -, i film realizzati negli ultimi tempi sono di qualità superiore, mescolano commedia e riflessione, gli attori non sono (ancora) superstar ma sono comunque famosi perché cresciuti nell'ambiente del cinema popolare. Si assiste ad un graduale, costante approfondimento del tema, che ad ogni nuovo progetto viene arricchito da ulteriori elementi e sfumature perché affrontato con sempre maggior consapevolezza.

Restringendo dunque il campo a titoli non d'autore e non drammatici, direi che, ad oggi, Badhaai Do è il prodotto meglio riuscito. Il mix di umorismo leggero e messaggio di sensibilizzazione è dosato con maestria. L'intrattenimento, mai sopra le righe, argina il dramma, mai pesante o forzato. E i momenti di riflessione impediscono alla commedia di diluire o semplificare troppo il messaggio. Il soggetto, in altre mani, poteva tradursi in una sceneggiatura dozzinale. Per nostra fortuna, BD è stato nutrito e coccolato a dovere. La regia, attentissima, orchestra una rappresentazione quasi impeccabile. Shardul e Sumi, i protagonisti, sono estremamente amabili pur con le loro ombre, e ti ci affezioni senza scampo. Gli attori che li interpretano, Rajkummar Rao e Bhumi Pednekar, compiono un piccolo miracolo nel renderli vivi, grazie anche ai dialoghi freschi e diretti. BD si guarda e si riguarda con piacere. La trama non presenta smagliature, la narrazione ti agguanta e mantiene il ritmo costante, alcuni dettagli colpiscono per delicatezza e per accuratezza psicologica. Si sorride, si ride, ci si emoziona.

Un applauso agli sceneggiatori e al regista per aver gestito l'argomento - in India considerato ancora spinoso - con sensibilità, arguzia e abilità professionale. E ai coraggiosi produttori per aver dato loro fiducia. Con BD è stato compiuto un deciso passo verso l'obiettivo futuro di una raffigurazione misurata e pacata di personaggi comuni, realistici, la cui omosessualità (o transessualità) non sia più l'aspetto centrale caratterizzante delle vicende narrate.

TRAMA

[Spoiler] Shardul è un poliziotto, Sumi un'insegnante di educazione fisica. Sono entrambi omosessuali. I due, per salvare le apparenze, decidono di unirsi in un matrimonio di copertura reciproca. Ma la pressione delle rispettive famiglie non si allenta: a quando un nipotino? 

RECENSIONI

Film Companion:

'The psychology is well designed. (...) At first, it seems odd that musical montages account for the more fertile portions of Badhaai Do. Parts that most other movies might have waxed dramatic about are rushed through here. A song scores their wedding, a song scores their Goa honeymoon, (...) a song scores Suman’s new relationship, a song scores Shardul’s new relationship, an interlude scores Suman’s partner (...) moving in with them. It doesn’t help that the soundtrack is painfully generic. There’s also very little acknowledgment of Shardul and Suman as sexual beings. It’s almost as though the film is shy about the very people it sets out to humanize. (...) But there’s a flipside, too. Not fussing over the “landmarks” - the wooing, the meet-cutes, the sex - tends to normalize their identity. It frees the film from the cishet lens of its setting, and democratizes the nature of intimacy. By focusing on the follies of their arrangement, such films convey that finding love is simpler than finding dignity. Even Shardul’s proposal to Suman isn’t milked; the quickness of it all proves that these are adults who’ve suffered too long to be surprised by an idea like this. Badhaai Do also resists the temptation of presenting an “equal” narrative. In keeping with the patriarchy of the region, the film does not pretend to afford Suman the same catharsis as Shardul. His story feels a little more fuller than hers, because the fact is that when things go wrong, it’s the woman who bears the brunt of public scrutiny. (...) It’s eventually up to him to bat for the both of them. It’s not the wokest of perspectives, but at least it stays true to the male entitlement of their surroundings. With Badhaai Do, the Ayushmann-ification of Rajkummar Rao is complete. It’s become difficult to tell one Rao character from another. Or a bad performance from a good one. The same applies to Bhumi Pednekar. Both have an uncanny knack for body language, like character actors playing lead roles. I’d still be hard-pressed to remember a dramedy solely for them; they exist at an awkward intersection of merging into the background and standing out. Which brings me to the one drawback of Badhaai Do. Since Dum Laga Ke Haisha, there’s been a sameness about the Hindi small-town oeuvre. (...) It’s tough to tell the people from the problems. It’s impossible to tell one rousing moment from another. (...) Even the veteran actors (...) overlap. Badhaai Do tries to diversify the template (...) but the fundamental issue is the same: Situating a progressive awakening in a small-minded habitat is too easy. The ideological contrast is too binary. Risky topics are plunged into with a safety harness. Deriving entertainment from the ways of middle India is starting to get reductive. It borders on the infantilization of rural characters in urban comedies. Most of them are played for eye rolls or facepalms. Badhaai Do, like the others, takes two steps forward in terms of social significance. But I’m beginning to notice that it first takes a few steps backward to get a running start. At some point, this technique will wear off. For now, though, the finish line is all that matters'. 

Rahul Desai, 11.02.22

Recensione integrale

Cinema Hindi: ****

Punto di forza: il coraggio, la sceneggiatura, la regia, Rajkummar Rao (al picco della forma), Bhumi Pednekar.

Punto debole: dettagli nella regia (vedi la sequenza un po' artificiale della parata) o nella sceneggiatura (l'ingresso in scena di Shardul, che sembra una copia del protagonista di Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, o il finale troppo lieto - solo lieto sarebbe bastato).

SCHEDA DEL FILM

Cast:

* Rajkummar Rao - Shardul

* Bhumi Pednekar - Sumi, moglie di Shardul

* Chum Darang - Rimjhim, compagna di Sumi

* Gulshan Devaiah - Guru, compagno di Shardul

* Sheeba Chadha - madre di Shardul

* Seema Pahwa - zia di Shardul

Regia: Harshavardhan Kulkarni

Sceneggiatura: Suman Adhikary, Akshat Ghildiyal, Harshavardhan Kulkarni

Colonna sonora: Amit Trivedi, Tanishk Bagchi, Ankit Tiwari, Khamosh Shah

Traduzione del titolo: felicitazioni

Anno: 2022

Trailer

RASSEGNA STAMPA

* Director Harshavardhan Kulkarni on 'Badhaai Do', Priyanka Roy, The Telegraph, 10 febbraio 2022:

'Were you ever wary of reactions to the sticky topic you were working on in this film?

With every year, things are becoming even more sensitive and extreme. When we started off with this film in 2018, I don’t think it (instant and knee-jerk outrage) was so so bad. I said ‘yes’ to this film not just because of its socially relevant subject, it was more in terms of, ‘Hey, I don’t know too much about the queer community and I want to explore more through these characters’. That’s what the beautiful part of the journey of film-making is. The subjects which I like to plunge into are the ones which I don’t know much about. I never thought about the backlash because all my energies were spent in getting into the skin of this concept. The only thing that we knew from the beginning was that we shouldn’t misrepresent in any way, and that we should be sensitive. Just because we are not aware doesn’t mean that we can make mistakes. That’s why we had a script consultant on board. We would write everything and we had a lot of questions and we really picked his brains. He told us everything, threadbare, and we went out and spoke to several members of the queer community and took in a lot of feedback. And even within the community, there were two sides that started fighting between themselves, claiming that this is right and that is wrong. And that made me realise that even within the community, there is no specific handbook on making a film on this theme. You have to rely on your gut and say, ‘This is what I feel is right’. One can never satisfy 100 out of 100 people. It’s not about right or wrong, it’s about the fact that the politics can never be the same. Actually, we are looking to cater to a larger audience whose views are not so extreme. The fear didn’t happen while making the film, it’s only set in as we are approaching the release date. When I keep getting questions like this is when I feel the fear more (laughs). That’s when I feel I am walking on a tightrope, eggshells, landmines... But honestly, if I can’t take criticism, I shouldn’t be making films. And opinions will come in not only for the politics of the film, but also for its telling, its story, for its characters... (...)

The quirky small-town film with a message wrapped in mirth has more or less always worked at the Bollywood box office, especially over the last few years. However, what was once a novel sub-genre now stands the risk of being overused. Would you agree?

If you turn anything into a formula, that dishonesty can be smelt by the audience and you are bound to fail. Our thing is not about doing a small-town film which is quirky and funny, and has a message. If I started off like that, it would have been a disaster. Again, it’s not set in a small town... Dehradun is a capital. When you watch the film, you will see that it’s a beautiful mix of urban and small town. We took care of shooting it in a  way that it doesn’t feel formulaic. You are right when you talk about the fatigue of overusing a template like this. I am fatigued myself (laughs). We have made a conscious effort of making it look different. (...) In Badhaai Do, you will discover how humour can sometimes be used in a very hard-hitting way to tell a bitter truth. The messaging of the film is also not what everyone is expecting it to be. It’s something that the viewer may step out of the theatre and retain for a while. I believe that this is a film that will have long legs'.

CURIOSITÀ

* BD ha acceso un dibattito all'interno della comunità LGBTQ indiana: alcuni sostengono che la pellicola potrebbe involontariamente celebrare la pratica del matrimonio di copertura reciproca.

* Film che trattano lo stesso tema: vedi L'omosessualità nel cinema hindi.

BRO DADDY

Accantonato temporaneamente il sequel del fortunatissimo Lucifer, Prithviraj opta per una commedia con del potenziale. Il problema è che avrebbe dovuto attenersi alla storia principale, astenendosi da siparietti inutili e sottotrame posticce che sembrano aggiunte in un secondo tempo alla sceneggiatura originaria, indebolendone struttura e ritmo. Forse Prithviraj ha voluto offrire delle occasioni lavorative ad altri colleghi in un periodo in cui le opportunità scarseggiavano. Apprezzabile, però non posso perdonargli il trattamento imbarazzante riservato a Soubin Shahir. Le restrizioni imposte dal covid-19 spiegano la confezione un po' televisiva di Bro Daddy. Si vede che il budget è contenuto.

Mohanlal è brillante e mai sopra le righe, e le interazioni con Prithviraj funzionano a meraviglia. Le sequenze che li vedono insieme sono le più divertenti. Impeccabile anche l'interpretazione di Lalu Alex. Meena è al contrario anestetizzata, in tono con il suo personaggio statico e piatto, personaggio la cui vicenda è fondamentale per la trama, e che quindi meritava una scrittura accurata e un peso maggiore. 

TRAMA

Eesho è un creativo in campo pubblicitario che vive a Bangalore con Anna, la fidanzata, figlia di un amico del padre. Le famiglie ignorano la relazione. Anna scopre di essere incinta. Eesho è scioccato, ma ecco che un'altra notizia inaspettata lo travolge. 

RECENSIONI

The Hindu:

'In his second directorial after Lucifer, Prithviraj chooses to scale down his ambition quite a bit to make a light-hearted family drama. (...) Much of the script is woven around the camaraderie between the father-son duo and their attempts to solve the mess. But the film does not have much of a conflict that could make for a gripping narrative, the only one being that Kurian should not come to know of the ‘accidents’. Almost the entire second half is written in such a way as to delay the inevitable, with most of the scenes being predictable from miles away. A separate comedy track involving event manager Happy (Soubin Shahir) further drags down the narrative, without managing any laughs. Mohanlal appears to be more at ease and seems to be enjoying the role, compared to most of his recent outings. Some of the humour involving him does work, while some other jokes in the movie are tasteless or stale, and fall flat. (...) Whether by design or by accident, the aesthetics of the whole film mirrors that of an advertisement with its settings in carefully-curated, prim and proper upper class homes. (...) A weak, predictable script makes Bro Daddy an underwhelming experience with some bright spots'.

S.R. Praveen, 26.01.22

Recensione integrale

Film Companion:

'Bro Daddy is a sweet, silly, very likeable movie with lots of laughs and I enjoyed all of that. But there’s something more here. I have rarely seen someone put so much effort into staging a comedy which is usually seen as just a series of jokes and not worthy of being staged. (...) [Prithviraj] really shines as a director. (...) What I also really liked is how he lets the film breathe. The story is about the confusion surrounding two pregnancies. This sort of thing is usually played at a very frantic pace. That does not happen here. Also, in these kinds of movies, the emphasis is mainly on jokes. So the scenes between the jokes are like ‘just do anything and so that we can get to the next joke’. But here the script is solid. (...) The relationships in this film really work and there are very sweet touches. (...) There are small dramatic moments that worked beautifully too. (...) Things are woven organically into the script. (...)  It works because of the script. It works because of the way it’s been handled and because the cast works wonderfully. Mohanlal and Prithviraj share an amazing chemistry'. 

Baradwaj Rangan, 29.01.22

Recensione integrale

Cinema Hindi: ** 1/2

Punto di forza: Mohanlal

Punto debole: la sceneggiatura manca di compattezza, ed è un peccato perché offre diversi spunti dignitosi.

SCHEDA DEL FILM

Cast:

* Mohanlal - John

* Prithviraj - Eesho, figlio di John

* Kalyani Priyadarshan - Anna, fidanzata di Eesho

* Meena - Annamma, moglie di John e madre di Eesho

* Lalu Alex - Kurian, padre di Anna e amico di John

* Mallika Sukumaran - madre di John

* Soubin Shahir - Happy, organizzatore di eventi

Regia: Prithviraj

Soggetto, sceneggiatura e dialoghi: Sreejith N., Bibin Maliekal

Colonna sonora: Deepak Dev

Lingua: malayalam

Anno: 2022

Trailer

CURIOSITÀ

* Riferimenti al cinema indiano: Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Hema Malini.

* Riferimenti all'Italia: Mohanlal pronuncia la parola broccoli, il parente di un personaggio vive in Italia, un locale si chiama Gelatissimo.

* Film che trattano lo stesso tema: Badhaai Ho.

GOSSIP & VELENI

* Mallika Sukumaran è la madre di Prithviraj.

HRIDAYAM

Esperienza singolare, questo Hridayam. Ti delude e ti conquista. Pellicola con diverse imperfezioni, eppure emozionante. In quasi tre ore mette in scena una collana di eventi, alcuni implausibili, altri rappresentati in modo maldestro, seguendo schemi purtroppo scontati. La sensazione è di assistere ad un collage di sequenze progettate a tavolino. Il ritmo alterna rallentamenti e accelerazioni. Manca una narrazione morbida e naturale. La sceneggiatura qua e là vacilla, la regia resiste indomita, il cast è dignitoso. Malgrado la prevedibilità, l'attenzione rimane alta. Alla seconda visione, si ha l'impressione di una maggiore fluidità. Si finisce per godere dei pregi, archiviando i difetti. 

Hridayam è anche un tributo innamorato a Chennai, luogo che diviene simbolo di giovinezza, di potenzialità da esprimere e di entusiasmante libertà. Arun, il protagonista, è fortemente contestualizzato a Chennai. Il personaggio nasce nel momento in cui mette piede a Chennai, non ha una vita precedente - a parte la chitarra e qualche accenno ai genitori in Kerala -, sembra privo di ricordi. Ed è a Chennai che Arun continuerà a tornare, come se la sua esistenza non trovasse definizione lontano da quella città.

TRAMA

Arun vive in Kerala ma si trasferisce a Chennai per studiare, si innamora, stringe amicizie, commette errori e rinsavisce. Al termine degli studi Arun non ha le idee chiare. Come affrontare il mondo del lavoro, il matrimonio, la paternità? 

RECENSIONI

The Hindu:

'Vineeth Sreenivasan is in familiar territory, displaying his knack of keeping the audience engaged, even when telling stories that we have seen many a time before on-screen. When a Vineeth Sreenivasan movie is about to arrive, one can sense the all-round feel-goodness from miles away, right from its carefully-crafted promos to the songs, which arrived in good old audio cassettes this time. It was apt, since nostalgia of various kinds happens to be his other selling point. Yet, there were points in Hridayam when Vineeth displayed more than a desire to break free of that cheerful, heartwarming mould and let his characters run wild, laying bare their demons. But then, the characters seem to get sudden realisations about the kind of movie that they are in, and get back to radiating goodness. Vineeth (...) gets it right in the packaging and the pacing. Hesham Abdul Wahab’s also music adds a lot of verve, although there were points one wished the background music was toned down a bit and the violinist given some rest. Though there is still room for improvement, Pranav [Mohanlal] has certainly come a long way from his initial solo outings, in which even his parkour skills could not make up for the lack of expressions. Here, he is much more assured and comfortable, managing to carry the film for a good part, even though Darshana [Rajendran] steals the show whenever she gets an opportunity. Hridayam might not stir your soul, but Vineeth has delivered enough to keep you entertained, which is no mean task when you have a runtime close to three hours'.

S.R. Praveen, 21 gennaio 2022

Recensione integrale

Cinema Hindi: ***

Punto di forza: Hridayam sfodera a tradimento un innegabile fascino nostalgico che tocca le corde emotive.

Punto debole: le forzature nella trama, e la temporanea trasformazione di Arun in teppista è la peggiore.

SCHEDA DEL FILM

Cast:

* Pranav Mohanlal - Arun

* Darshana Rajendran - Darshana, primo amore di Arun

* Kalyani Priyadarshan - Nithya, moglie di Arun

* Aswath Lal - Antony, migliore amico di Arun

* Annu Antony - Maya, ex-fidanzata di Arun

* Kalesh Ramanand - Selva, amico di Arun

* Aju Varghese - Jimmy, il fotografo

Regia: Vineeth Sreenivasan

Sceneggiatura: Vineeth Sreenivasan

Colonna sonora: Hesham Abdul Wahab. La colonna sonora non è il mio genere ma è di qualità. Jukebox side A, side B. Prithviraj interpreta il brano Thathaka Theithare, Darshana Rajendran il brano Darshana, Vineeth Sreenivasan i brani Onakka Munthiri (di cui ha scritto il testo; Divya, moglie di Vineeth, è la voce femminile) e Manasse Manasse. La colonna sonora è stata distribuita anche in vinile e - udite udite - musicassetta. 

Lingua: malayalam

Traduzione del titolo: cuore

Anno: 2022

Trailer

CURIOSITÀ

* Il regista Vineeth Sreenivasan, come il personaggio di Arun, è un musicista (cantante e compositore) e si è laureato in ingegneria meccanica a Chennai, precisamente al KCG College of Technology, dove Hridayam è stato girato. 

* Riferimenti al cinema indiano: Prithviraj, Allu Arjun, Dabangg, Baahubali 2. Il brano che Darshana canta in una delle sequenze iniziali è Kannalane, tratto dalla colonna sonora di Bombay.

* Riferimenti all'Italia: Arun pronuncia la parola lasagna, Nithya indossa un pigiama con la scritta ciao.

* Film che trattano lo stesso tema: Chhichhore, 3 idiots.

GOSSIP & VELENI

* Pranav Mohanlal è il figlio di Mohanlal. Kalyani Priyadarshan è la figlia di Priyadarshan.

LOOOP LAPETA

Set variopinti, fotografia deliziosamente satura, montaggio intrepido, regia piena di inventiva e colonna sonora in tono, irrobustiscono il carattere di Looop Lapeta, pellicola pazza e irriverente, remake ufficiale di Lola corre. Ma la sceneggiatura tradisce il geniale soggetto con lungaggini superflue, gonfiando dettagli e rallentando sequenze. Gli attori di supporto ringraziano: ciascuno di loro si gode un momento di gloria. Anche se tanta generosità penalizza il ritmo. La prima parte è la più appesantita, le due successive divertono parecchio, LL però non regge bene la seconda visione. Buffe oltre ogni misura le numerosissime, stravaganti espressioni facciali di Savi e Satya, i protagonisti. Una menzione speciale per i titoli di testa. Al contrario, nessuna misericordia per le irritanti ripetizioni di battute. 

Gratti la black comedy e trovi l'allegoria. La sceneggiatura crede nell'evoluzione di Savi e scopre finalità didattiche: intende insegnarle che la gentilezza è più efficace dell'arroganza, e che le sue scelte hanno il potere di determinare il destino. La mette alla prova. Si crea così l'illusione che Savi sia dotata di libero arbitrio e che possa decidere come condurre la trama del film, l'illusione che la sceneggiatura detti le linee guida e poi si limiti ad osservare le mosse della ragazza. Satya è solo una pedina nel disegno generale, al pari dei personaggi minori. Considerando la durata della pellicola, sarebbe stato interessante un segmento dedicato anche all'evoluzione di Satya - caso disperato, direi. Perché caricare tutta la responsabilità su Savi?  

LL è in sostanza un inno all'ottimismo. Di questi tempi ne abbiamo bisogno.

TRAMA

Savi, nel giorno del suo compleanno, si imbosca in bagno e: scopre di essere incinta - mostrando un moderato entusiasmo -, inala sostanze non meglio identificate, riceve una chiamata da Satya, il suo scellerato fidanzato. Savi molla tutto e corre corre corre, incrociando: tassisti depressi, poliziotti fuori forma, spose indecise. (Ah, mi è passata la voglia di pollo al forno).

RECENSIONI

Film Companion:

'The Hindi adaptation (...) reveals a new dimension: the “running of age” story. Which is to say a character comes of age, except the journey is literal. (...) Everything is outlined: the girl, the guy, their relationship, the stakes. (...) They’re happy together but struggling to reach the next stage. (...) So she runs - towards the future. (...) Too much context is an Indian habit. It’s ironic that the makers want to leave nothing to chance in a film about chance. (...) Looop Lapeta gets the spirit of adaptation right. It adds without subtracting. (...) And it breathes. The frenetic blood rush of the original is supplied by a beating heart. (...) The popping colours, frame-rate trickery and flashy music have good reason to exist too. (...) Stripped of its kinetic identity, this is essentially a story of a girl who is forced to confront the compatibility of her soulmate. The running, the situations and the characters on the way represent her emotional hurdles. But having a beating heart also implies living longer. The tight 83-minute ‘run’ time of the original balloons to 131 minutes here, with the frills coming at the cost of thrills. (...) In other words, the film’s strength is also its weakness. But if one were to view Looop Lapeta as more of an architectural human drama than a pacey thriller, the uneven pace may not feel as jarring. The source material becomes a skeleton in a body that sacrifices momentum for mass. Or in runner parlance, speed for smarts. (...) Bhatia’s film-making stays inventive even when the writing lags. It’s a brave move to make a movie so ambivalent about substance. (...) Taapsee Pannu has been Hindi cinema’s go-to actress for physical roles. (...) The result is a weird, good-humoured turn: one that doesn’t mind throwing it all at the wall to see what sticks. (...) Tahir Raj Bhasin (...) is adequately elastic as Satya, adding over-the-top comedy to his growing repertoire of genre acting. Their oddball chemistry is a nice change from the self-seriousness of romantic dramas. It also humanizes Looop Lapeta’s flamboyant exterior. (...) Life has been one long and acidic loop - of running, surviving, learning and starting all over again - since early 2020. Every wave is experienced with knowledge of what went wrong the last time. (...) In that sense, the timing of Looop Lapeta - a tale of timing - is just right. (...) Satya and Savi’s crazy world is ours. They aspire to be us, not vice versa. We don’t look too shabby on screen after all'.

Rahul Desai, 04.02.22

Recensione integrale

Cinema Hindi: ***

Punto di forza: la regia

Punto debole: il ritmo; una durata minore, tagliando senza pietà sequenze periferiche, avrebbe giovato.

SCHEDA DEL FILM

Cast:

* Taapsee Pannu - Savi

* Tahir Raj Bhasin - Satya

Regia: Aakash Bhatia

Sceneggiatura: remake ufficiale di Lola corre, l'adattamento è di Vinay Chhawal, Ketan Pedgaonkar, Aakash Bhatia, Arnav Vepa Nanduri

Colonna sonora: Sidhant Mago, Mayank Mehra, Santanu Ghatak, Rahul Pais, Nariman Khambata, Hanumankind (Sync). Interessante il brano Lola's chant a commento dei titoli di testa.

Fotografia: Yash Khanna

Montaggio: Priyank Prem Kumar

Traduzione del titolo: lapeta significa intrappolato. Bhatia ha dichiarato che il titolo è un omaggio al nome Lola, le cui due sillabe sono le iniziali del titolo stesso.

Anno: 2022

Trailer

CURIOSITÀ

* Franka Potente, attrice protagonista di Lola corre, ha condiviso in rete un video dedicato a LL.

A THURSDAY

Prodotto modesto e spreco colossale di un cast di tutto rispetto. Il film è guardabile (una volta), a (brevissimi) tratti anche emozionante, ma nel complesso risulta debole per non dire banale. La sceneggiatura non crede abbastanza nel soggetto, qualche ingenuità di troppo nella trama, qualche esagerazione non necessaria. La regia è intermittente, il trattamento semplicistico, la confezione televisiva, la conclusione grossolana.

TRAMA

Naina è una maestra di scuola materna, adorata dai suoi piccoli allievi. Al ritorno anticipato da un congedo di tre settimane, Naina prende in ostaggio sedici bambini, si barrica nell'edificio, contatta la polizia e condivide il gesto in rete. Partono le richieste e il conto alla rovescia.

RECENSIONI

Mid-Day: *

Mayank Shekhar, 19.02.22

Recensione integrale

Film Companion:

'Of its many problems, the most grating one is that the makers still think this is a novel narrative. (...) Then there is this film’s simplistic button-pushing. Once Naina reveals her truth, the film leaves no stone unturned to suggest that her “method” is the best solution. Everyone suddenly looks at her differently, including the terrorized parents who feared the worst for their children. That’s not how human psychology works. The gaze is so naive that the entire country is transformed (...) by the time she’s done. (...) A Thursday is yet another lazy and rabble-rousing iteration of a complicated issue'.

Rahul Desai, 17.02.22

Recensione integrale

Cinema Hindi: ** 1/2

Punto di forza: l'intenzione

Punto debole: la sceneggiatura

SCHEDA DEL FILM

Cast:

* Yami Gautam - Naina

* Atul Kulkarni - il poliziotto

* Neha Dhupia - la poliziotta

* Dimple Kapadia - il primo ministro

Regia: Behzad Khambata

Sceneggiatura: Behzad Khambata

Anno: 2022

Trailer

CURIOSITÀ

* Film che trattano lo stesso tema: A Thursday riprende lo schema di A Wednesday!, pellicola decisamente superiore.

GEHRAIYAAN

Personaggi poco amabili, vicende poco esaltanti, eppure non sono riuscita a staccare gli occhi dallo schermo, nemmeno alla seconda visione. Gehraiyaan è la combinazione perfettamente riuscita di una sceneggiatura sinuosa e compatta, dialoghi fluidi, regia ispirata, interpretazioni da manuale, confezione impeccabile. Un noir patinatissimo dall'atmosfera intima e fascinosa, complice una fotografia di prima classe che privilegia i toni dell'azzurro e del tortora. Il ritmo è rilassato, quasi dimesso. La colonna sonora, mai invadente, accarezza immagini e stati d'animo. Gehraiyaan, con la sua morbidezza seducente, fa intuire un'intensità forse solo simulata.

Il soggetto si spinge oltre il semplice canovaccio infedeltà-bugie. Il perno è l'intreccio di vita personale e vita professionale, tema raramente indagato dalla cinematografia popolare hindi. I personaggi sono imperfetti ma vorrebbero vivere esistenze perfette, non si evolvono, corrono in circolo, fuggono dalle proprie radici, inseguono sogni e desideri. Le interazioni fra loro sono disinvolte, la connessione con lo spettatore funziona. La parabola di Zain è la più interessante, una sorta di esperimento emotivo: l'amore può trasformarsi in odio se ostacola la realizzazione di ambizioni sfrenate?  

Deepika Padukone è irresistibilmente naturale, e arricchisce la sua Alisha di spessore drammatico. Tutto il cast è convincente, inclusa Ananya Panday che riluce in un ruolo tagliato su misura per lei. Shakun Batra, la sceneggiatrice Ayesha DeVitre e la Dharma Productions, al terzo progetto concretizzato insieme confermano la traiettoria, personale e vincente, che caratterizza la filmografia di Batra, regista da cui in futuro è lecito aspettarsi solo grandi cose. 

TRAMA

Alisha è un'insegnante di yoga. Convive con il fidanzato, Karan, aspirante scrittore. La facoltosa Tia è cugina di Alisha, ed è la migliore amica di Karan. Dopo anni, le due ragazze si ritrovano, e in quell'occasione Alisha incontra Zain, l'ambizioso fidanzato di Tia.

RECENSIONI

Mid-Day: *** 1/2

'This is really a film about young, cold, clinical, professional ambitions at the base. Something we don’t usually watch messing with movie romances, about good-looking desi people, in general. (...) Sat through all of it; pleasantly intrigued, in fact'.

Mayank Shekhar, 12.02.22

Recensione integrale

Film Companion:

'Alisha and Zain seek in each other a future that escapes not just the present but also the past. Their compatibility is not driven by choice so much as the desperation to acquaint desire with destiny. What follows is a remarkably intense movie that crosses many bridges - connecting integrity and individualism, infidelity and self-realization, trauma and intimacy, aspiration and love. The outsiders of Gehraiyaan are not handled with kid gloves. They are cleverly cast, and the writing sets out to investigate their truth. Most of all, they are both victims and villains of their own fate. For strivers like Alisha and Zain, a relationship cannot afford to be just a relationship: it needs to feature all the gratification and good fortune that their peers seem to have inherited. It needs to build and repair at once. The risks are high, so the stakes are higher. I kept rooting for the alleged soulmates, without noticing that both of them are actually protagonists jostling to own the same narrative. There’s only space for one. As a result, the good-looking love story heads into unchartered territory - the third act is a bit contrived, but necessary in context of the bigger picture. A revelation towards the end brings it all together with moving clarity. It’s the moment I realized that the edgy domestic thriller was in fact a dark coming-of-age drama all along. (...) The score - a mix of empty euphoria and whispery strings - sounds like an extension of not the film but its faces. Humans tend to process experiences through the music they like, so the tracks here are essentially a blueprint of their Hinglish moods. They think in sexy melodies; (...) they imagine themselves as haunting music videos. (...) The richness in Gehraiyaan, too, is not a cosmetic language; it’s a social crutch. (...) [Zain's] real estate career is its own character - the most visual symbol of power. Kaushal Shah’s camerawork alone suggests that Zain’s addiction to the lifestyle shapes his reading of companionship. He views Mumbai as a playground of prestige and privacy. Zain knows that if he loses his money, he will also lose the courage to care; he suspects that love is futile without the story. Very few films acknowledge that feelings do not exist in isolation - and that professional success goes hand in hand with personal worth. The second half of Gehraiyaan is frightfully pragmatic in this sense. It unfurls like a biopic going off the rails, where the ghost of failure looms large over the spirit of chemistry. The formidable Siddhant Chaturvedi exudes a lopsided charm that enables this tonal shift. It’s an uncomfortable role, but not an unrewarding one. At its core, though, Gehraiyaan - like Batra’s first two films - is a study of reluctant familyhood. (...) Alisha’s decisions - cheating on a dead-weight partner, choosing a passionate lover - are a consequence of who she doesn’t want to be, not who she hopes to become. (...) She is, for all means and purposes, the lost daughter. (...) The film imitates the psychology of these young protagonists. Old parents exist as shadows, at the periphery of both mind and narrative. But their legacy creeps up on the kids who are trying to shed it. This ties into a generation’s greatest fear - of turning into the very people we leave behind. (...) Alisha is not just Padukone’s career best performance, but also one of the great portraits of contemporary womanhood. (...) In her hands, the spiritual leanings of Gehraiyaan acquire a life of their own'.

Rahul Desai, 11.02.22

Recensione integrale

Cinema Hindi: ****

Punto di forza: il film è ipnotico, Deepika Padukone pazzesca. 

Punto debole: -

SCHEDA DEL FILM

Cast:

* Deepika Padukone - Alisha

* Siddhant Chaturvedi - Zain

* Ananya Panday - Tia, cugina di Alisha, fidanzata di Zain

* Dhairya Karwa - Karan, fidanzato di Alisha e migliore amico di Tia

* Naseeruddina Shah - padre di Alisha

* Rajat Kapoor - Jitesh, socio di Zain

Regia: Shakun Batra

Soggetto: Ayesha DeVitre, Shakun Batra

Sceneggiatura: Ayesha DeVitre, Sumit Roy, Shakun Batra, Yash Sahai

Dialoghi: Yash Sahai, Ayesha DeVitre

Colonna sonora: Kabeer Kathpalia (OAFF), Savera Mehta. Il brano Doobey rispecchia efficacemente il tono del film.

Fotografia: Kaushal Shah

Traduzione del titolo: depths

Anno: 2022

Trailer

CURIOSITÀ

* Gehraiyaan si ispira a Match Point.

* Riferimenti all'Italia: Tia vorrebbe sposarsi in Toscana, Zain apprezza la burrata.

ATRANGI RE

Ci sono film che andrebbero visti solo una volta.

È il caso di Atrangi Re. Alla seconda visione, quelli che mi erano sembrati peccati veniali si sono rivelati spaventose voragini. Dall'intervallo in poi la sceneggiatura diventa vacua, priva di inventiva e di ispirazione. Un susseguirsi di sciocchezze (vogliamo parlare dell'allegra somministrazione di psicofarmaci, dall'effetto istantaneo?), anche nei dialoghi. Le relazioni fra i personaggi si spengono. La regia, sbalordita quanto noi spettatori, non sostiene la narrazione. Persino gli attori, con l'eccezione di Dhanush, sbiadiscono. Resta solo la bizzarria, del tutto fuori luogo. Verso la fine AR torna in carreggiata, ma il danno è quasi irreparabile.

Il primo tempo è speziato e divertente, malgrado le licenze e le implausibilità. La storia è originale, con una vena di tristezza che soggiace alla commedia e che la rende intima. Non ho riscontrato un'eccessiva banalizzazione della patologia di cui soffre Rinku, la protagonista. La semplificazione c'è - è pur sempre una pellicola d'intrattenimento -, ma è più una forma di fantapsicologia, o di psicologia magica, se preferite. Anzi, la rappresentazione è a tratti abbastanza sensibile e articolata nelle sue implicazioni, e non vi sono ridicolizzazioni.

Il rapporto fra i due personaggi principali è insolito. Vishu, il protagonista, si propone e non si impone, ed è ammirevole nella sua comprensione. Uno stalker sarebbe evaporato dinanzi alle stranezze di Rinku. Rinku non si arrende a Vishu, ma si libera. Da un passato doloroso e dalla sua personalissima strategia per non lasciarsene travolgere, dalla sua interiorità ingarbugliata. E una volta libera, grazie alle opportunità che Vishu le ha offerto, si arrende con fiducia alla vita.

L'incesto nemmeno mi era venuto in mente. La relazione fra Rinku e Sajjad è piena di calore ma asessuata e priva anche solo di ammiccamenti innocenti. Rinku vive il suo groviglio di emozioni in modo acerbo. Diventa adulta grazie a circostanze più o meno fortuite, e a Vishu.

Pur con le sue numerose lacune, l'insieme miracolosamente regge, traballa, sprofonda, e poi risorge. Aanand L. Rai con Zero e AR - e un mix di rusticità, personaggi imperfetti, situazioni stravaganti - ha creato un suo genere che sta al cinema hindi come il weird sta alla fantascienza. O almeno ne sta definendo i parametri, tracciati in precedenza da film quali Shaandaar (2015) di Vikas Bahl o Jagga Jasoos (2017) di Anurag Basu. Forse nel weird Rao ha trovato la sua vena, ed è disarmante la placidità (non la sfrontatezza) con cui ha diretto questi eccentrici lavori, viaggiando sempre sull'orlo del precipizio - e qualche volta precipitando. 

Non c'entra, ma potrei ammirare Dhanush ballare per ore. Per ore.

TRAMA

Rinku da bambina è testimone di una tragedia, e reagisce a modo suo all'orrore. Ma quando, forzatamente, entra in scena Vishu, la faccenda si complica. Anche per Vishu.

RECENSIONI

Film Companion:

'If nothing, I admire the cojones on Atrangi Re. The nerve. The guts. The unflinching audacity. It’s the kind of bewildering disaster (the title translates to “funnily weird”) that nearly turns failure into an artform. It’s so single-mindedly confident in its ideas - of romance, cinema, humans, emotions, psychology - that I was almost impressed by the delusion of it all. Colourful analogies come to mind. Imagine (...) selling death as “the opportunity to be reborn.” (...) In all my years of film watching, I’ve rarely been as repulsed and riveted at once. It’s one thing to push the boundaries of storytelling; it’s another to pour acid on the boundaries, vaporize them and pretend like they never existed to begin with. (...) Midway through the film, there’s a twist so ridiculous that it dwarfs the lofty ambitions of even Zero, the last “What is love if not insanity/disability persevering?” ode by the writer-director combo. (...) I saw the twist coming from the trailer and the discourse around it. (...) Social media had a field day about Sara Ali Khan being paired with the much-older Akshay Kumar. (...) If you think about it, though, the 54-year-old actor’s presence alone is a spoiler - a hint that there might be a social-message angle to what looks like yet another edgy romantic drama. In a purely meta-Bollywood sense, then, the twist is smart, as is the illusion of Akshay Kumar playing a Muslim lover named Sajjad Ali Khan. But that’s where the smartness ends. That’s where everything ends. In context of the world we live in, the twist is willfully ignorant and offensive, especially given the fact that the second half commits to it with unsettling resolve. There are no half measures, which is why the writing takes us to a doomed place stranded between the philanthropic comedy of Lage Raho Munna Bhai, the self-serious nobility of Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara and the philanthropic dramedy of Ayushmann Khurrana movies. It’s not an unfamiliar trope. Marks for effort, sure, but scars for execution. All I can say is that the last thing we all need in 2021 - on the back of the two toughest years in modern history - is a commercial Hindi film infantilizing mental health disorders and trauma in the language of old-school romance. It’s easy to misinterpret this stance as whimsical and brave. This does also offer a ready-made excuse to justify the film’s over-the-top acting. But madness is too often used as a ruse for method and mediocrity. Here, too, it’s worn like a shiny jewel or a glittering dress: as a physical accessory, not a psychological ailment. (...) Sara’s performance (...) confuses histrionics for depth. She seems to be playing a role derived from movies watched rather than life lived. Dhanush, on the contrary, doesn’t look convinced by the narrative he’s driving. He’s normally excellent at conveying the moral fluidity of love, but Atrangi Re escapes his grasp early on and refuses to return. (...) It won’t make sense to view Atrangi Re as an isolated misfire. It’s important to investigate how we got here. (...) Logic is an extra, and love is both an illness and a cure, in most of Aanand L. Rai’s filmography. The Tanu Weds Manu movies, Raanjhanaa and Zero, all merged literal stigma with figurative ones; the results were mixed, yet there’s no denying that uncomfortable truths were revealed with creative candour. In fact, I’m all for the lunacies of love -  I even bought into the toxic excesses of the Rai-produced Haseen Dillruba earlier this year. But Atrangi Re not only drops the ball, it kicks the ball into outer space and calls it a star. It goes too far to celebrate the irrational overtones of love, mining mental illness for comic chuckles and making the actors look silly by sugarcoating disability for the sake of entertainment. I don’t even have to be woke to notice this; it’s just a glaring problem in a film that ceases to exist beyond its twist. Atrangi Re does end on an encouraging note though. The “A film by” slate flashes not just the director’s name, but also his primary collaborators: the writer, cinematographer, music director, editor, production designer and lyricist. It’s a great precedent in an industry averse to credit. But given the nature of the film, it also feels like a confession that says: It’s everybody’s fault, not just mine'.

Rahul Desai, 24.12.21

Recensione integrale

Cinema Hindi: ** 1/2 

Punto di forza: il primo tempo (***), Dhanush, il personaggio di Sajjad

Punto debole: la sceneggiatura nel secondo tempo

SCHEDA DEL FILM

Cast:

* Sara Ali Khan - Rinku

* Dhanush - Vishu

* Akshay Kumar - Sajjad

* Seema Biswas - nonna di Rinku

Regia: Aanand L. Rai

Soggetto, sceneggiatura e dialoghi: Himanshu Sharma

Colonna sonora: A.R. Rahman

Traduzione del titolo: Rahul Desai, nella sua recensione, propone funnily weird

Anno: 2021

Trailer

RASSEGNA STAMPA/VIDEO

* I wasn't making a documentary, Komal RJ Panchal, The Indian Express, 3 gennaio 2022. Intervista concessa dallo sceneggiatore Himanshu Sharma:

'What do you have to say about the claims that Atrangi Re trivialises mental disorders?

When I chose this story and this concept, I wasn’t making a documentary on mental illness. (...) There is so much more to the film, to that story called Atrangi Re, it talks about love, loss, and trauma, and how trauma can create so many difficulties for you and how love can fix all of those problems. In my head, I used  mental issue as a tool, a sugar-coating through which I am telling you about even deeper things. So, at times while I was manoeuvring my way, it doesn’t mean I am not paying attention to it or that I am not being honest towards it. Please look at the characters in the film, all the characters, like Dhanush’s Vishu or his friend Madhu (played by Ashish Verma), they all have so much sympathy for the girl. They are dealing with her with utmost sympathy. The idea is that you have to see the film for what it is and not what you want it to be. It is important to see the deeper meanings. (...) We need a new set of eyes, a new set of reviewers to watch these new stories. Because, at least, I am done with this boring, banal and shallow reviewing of our stories. That’s all I have to say, that there was so much more in the story, of course mental illness was also there, but that was not the only thing. And please understand the idea of how symbolically the makers are using it. (...) You may say it trivialises the issue, but I would just like to say that I was trying to make these difficult topics simple, so that it can be accessible and can reach a larger number of people. (...) Films (...) should speak human language and that is imperfect. (...) We need to learn how to see a film without judgement, to immerse in the story and to feel it, seek the deeper truth in any film'.

* Writer Himanshu Sharma Breaks Down Atrangi Re, Prathyush Parasuraman, Film Companion, 4 gennaio 2022: 

'Atrangi Re is a baffling creature. Rarely has illogical wonder paired so compellingly, yet so abrasively with romance and drama. Like watching a kite burn in the sky, you can’t help but watch till it is an ashen heap. Forgoing a big theatrical release, the film premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on December 24 to mixed reviews. It was described as both riveting and reckless. Regardless, within the first three days, it clocked 8.8 million views. Another 11.7 million views the following week. (...)

Tell us about the Tamil dialogues. You wrote them in Hindi and got them translated?

No. I would tell Dhanush the larger picture, and what the character should communicate, and then he would put them in his words in Tamil and deliver it. I would never know what lines he was saying. Once he would deliver lines, what a fantastic actor... we were done in two takes. Scripts are not supposed to be read but seen. Once you find the truth in a scene, then just let it be. 

A lot of the initial scenes with Sara Ali Khan felt odd, like her teasing, her intense gaze, her dancing. (...) Why is she being so intense and intimate with Vishu when she has another man, Sajjad Ali Khan waiting? (...)

See, I also wanted to create a juvenile quality about this girl where her actions are not governed by social norms. She would live in a moment. She has her own shortcomings, never thinking of consequences. (...) She had no reason to dance (...) but she did it because she was having fun after the longest time. After spending 22 years in that house, that environment, she is now seeing Delhi, then Madurai. She doesn’t care for limits. (...)

At a screenplay level Atrangi Re is very tricky. The film has a lot of explaining. Entire scenes just play out, trying to explain how Rinku is hallucinating, or whom or why she is hallucinating, or how to treat her, or whether the treatment is working or not working. Were you worried this would get too much for the audience?  

It is a tricky film, especially this whole idea of a person in love with her own father... it is quite tricky, because I wanted to land that in the most innocent way possible. For that I required that explanation, otherwise it wouldn’t reach you. See, at the end of the day it is not about how the story is unraveling. It is about “Are you interested at all?” People will forgive a lot of things if they are enjoying the story. That is what I keep in mind. No story is perfect. But do people want to know what happens next? (...)

You have spoken about being true to the world you are writing your characters in. They are often doing odd things, like slashing wrists and breaking bottles on their heads, Dhanush being the stalker in Raanjhanaa, or administering medicines without the consent of Rinku in Atrangi Re. This might be true to the world they are in. But were you ever worried that being true to a cinematic world might come across as validating certain kinds of violent behaviour here, in our world?

No! Do you have to learn everything from films? (...) I am only responsible for my characters, my story. There is a lot of love I have towards Kundan (from Raanjhanaa) or Vishu. It is okay to make mistakes. But that doesn’t mean we are bad human beings. Vishu is doing these things to himself. See how drunk he is in that scene, and the mental space he is in, dealing with an imaginary character as a competition in love. It was an organic thing, and fun, too, ya. We have loved Kill Bill. If that is not promoting violence, then what is? (...) So let us not put the responsibility of fixing this world on cinema. 

There was an immediate backlash about how the film discussed mental health. In an interview with Indian Express you said you “used [the] mental issue as a tool, a sugar-coating, through which [you were] telling [us] about even deeper things” What are these deeper things?

As I said, the basic thing was an idea of what we think of love theoretically vis-a-vis what we get in life. We have these grand thoughts, definitions of and about love. We live by those definitions, and then, when we have to deal with a real person, we have to learn to live with that. It is like saying, “Yaar, boyfriend ya pati hona chahiye Shah Rukh Khan jaisa” [fidanzati e mariti dovrebbero essere come SRK], but what you have is some Vinod Kumar type person. But that Vinod Kumar can at least go and buy you paracetamol. That imaginary love can’t help you. That real person is there. Flawed, but they will stand by you. Of course, there is also how trauma can create a void within you which love can fulfill. These were a few things I wanted to speak about in the garb of mental illness. It is not that I am saying mental illness is not there. But while maneuvering a story, you have to prioritize. What do you want to put forward? In that process, some things take a back seat. That does not mean you are not aware of it or don’t care about it. You do. But the primary story is important. It should be fun to watch'.

CURIOSITÀ

* Film che trattano lo stesso tema: l'originalissimo Judgementall Hai Kya. In Heaven on Earth, la protagonista, vittima di violenze domestiche, reagisce in un modo molto simile a Rinku. 

GOSSIP & VELENI

* Nel 2021 Himanshu Sharma ha sposato la sceneggiatrice Kanika Dhillon (Judgementall Hai Kya). Per Kanika è il secondo matrimonio. In precedenza aveva sposato Prakash Kovelamudi, regista di JHK.

H E R O

Immaginate un pericoloso virus per il quale non esistano cure o vaccini. Immaginate una pandemia e un lockdown globali, un'economia depressa, umori ancora più depressi.

Ora immaginate un manipolo di amici, tutti professionisti del cinema, che, di punto in bianco, decidano di trasferirsi per un periodo imprecisato in una località sperduta. Bagaglio? Vediamo: attrezzature al minimo, un drone, un coccodrillo con problemi gastrici. Nessun progetto definito, solo il desiderio di lasciarsi alle spalle l'inattività forzata e di realizzare qualcosa insieme.

Quale testamento lasciare agli eventuali alieni in visita ad un mondo ormai disabitato? Hero, il racconto straziante delle ultime ore di un'umanità condannata all'estinzione.

Sbagliato. Anzi, giusto, tranne l'ultima frase. Perché il nostro è un gruppo di mattacchioni spudorati. Perché l'esperienza bucolica si trasforma in esperimento burlone. Perché Hero è una commedia, a tratti demenziale, dal sonnacchioso primo tempo, seguito da una truce impennata. Splatter, sangue che zampilla, cadaveri che arredano, inseguimenti, zuffe. Il tutto condito da un malandrino commento musicale. E non perdetevi i titoli di coda.

Un soggetto sfruttatissimo vivificato da una delirante sceneggiatura e da una buffa regia. Girato in 43 giorni, Hero è una parodia dei cliché del masala: machismo, amori, gangster sociopatici, vendette, violenze, riprese al rallentatore, combattimenti inverosimili. Gli effetti speciali sono giocoforza casalinghi, ma contribuiscono a strappare sorrisi. Le sequenze d'azione, nel secondo tempo, sono stupefacenti per inventiva e sfruttamento scaltro delle poche risorse a disposizione. I personaggi sono gioiosamente di cartone. Gli attori si abbandonano alla giostra improvvisata sul set e come viene viene. Tutti fanno tutto: le star collaborano con i tecnici, i quali, a loro volta, recitano in ruoli minori o si limitano ad essere comparse silenziose - mi riferisco ai numerosi cadaveri - e sembra non abbiano fatto altro - intendo attori di supporto, non cadaveri - nella vita.

Quale insegnamento possiamo trarre da Hero? Che non è solo la fame ad aguzzare l'ingegno, pure le pandemie (e la noia). Hero non è impeccabile, ma a modo suo è un dito medio al coronavirus. Immagino sia stato terapeutico - oltre che divertente - per la trentina di persone che lo hanno realizzato. Noi spettatori ringraziamo. Quanto agli alieni, beh, sarà per la prossima volta.

TRAMA

L'eroina pianta in asso l'eroe e sposa il gangster. L'eroe pianifica la vendetta. Ma l'amore trionfa e si chiarisce tutto: l'eroe non è propriamente un eroe, il gangster si scontra con una pentola a pressione, e l'eroina si rivela assai poco tradizionale. Che la (caotica) caccia abbia inizio.

ASSOLUTAMENTE DA NON PERDERE

* L'audizione per selezionare il team a cui affidare la spedizione punitiva.

* L'energumeno con clava e un'irrefrenabile passione per i cinghiali. E il cuoco ricciolone, chiacchierone, incurante di quanto lo circonda.

* La sequenza del trattore.

RECENSIONI

Deccan Herald: ***

'Technical brilliance is a minimum guarantee in Rishab Shetty's films. Hero, shot entirely during the Covid-forced lockdown last year, deserves extra praise in this aspect. Every department of the film is solidly handled to hold the wafer-thin story. Director M. Bharath Raj debuts with a violent action-adventure laced with terrific dark humour. (...) The excessive bloodshed shown is new to Kannada cinema but Bharath has shot the gory violence with swagger, making the film a treat for fans of the genre. Arvind Kashyap's ambitious camera work and a plethora of quirky characters delivering crackling one-liners make the first-half an entertaining ride. (...) While the initial portions of the second half are gripping, the overdose of action towards the end makes the film a tad one dimensional. The leads' backstory isn't etched out well, perhaps due to the shooting restrictions caused by the pandemic. After setting the story well, Bharath's screenplay sags with no great twists. Rishab continues to grow in strength as an actor. (...) He is on-song here in the funny portions but his alcoholic acts are jarring. Ganavi has a great face for emotionally-charged roles, the film doesn't explore it fully. Ajaneesh Lokanath is the film's backbone with his gripping background score and melodious songs. (...) Hero falls short of being a great film but it's a laudable experiment'.

Vivek M.V., 06.03.21

Recensione integrale

Cinema Hindi: ***

Punto di forza: la goliardia e l'incoscienza.

Punto debole: il primo tempo è introduttivo con un ritmo un po' lento e una comicità diluita.

SCHEDA DEL FILM

Cast:

* Rishab Shetty - il barbiere (Hero)

* Ganavi Laxman - la moglie del gangster (Heroine)

* Pramod Shetty - il gangster (Villain)

* Ugramm Manjunath Gowda - il figlio del gangster rivale

* Anirudh Mahesh - il dottore

* Kiran Kinna - il cuoco

Regia: M. Bharath Raj

Sceneggiatura: M. Bharath Raj, Anirudh Mahesh, Nithesh Nanjundaradhya, Trilok Trivikrama, Rishab Shetty

Colonna sonora: B. Ajaneesh Loknath

Coreografia delle sequenze d'azione: Vikram Mor, Rishab Shetty

Lingua: kannada

Anno: 2021

Trailer

RASSEGNA STAMPA

* Director M. Bharath Raj, actor-producer Rishab Shetty on the making of Kannada film Hero during lockdown, Firstpost, Subha J. Rao, 10.02.21. Il pezzo raccoglie anche le dichiarazioni di Vikram Mor, il tecnico che ha ideato le sequenze d'azione. Un estratto: 'The film was not a planned one. In fact, the ideation and writing just took three days, and the team suddenly found itself in the midst of shooting. “This is Bharath’s debut, and even his parents did not know that. Our dialogue writer was writing dialogues till the last day of shoot,” laughs Rishab, who is also the film’s producer. What makes Hero special is that unlike a typical “lockdown” project, it has all the trappings of a commercial film - stunts galore, great music, a lot of characters, and the vast expanse of coffee estates. In one fell stroke, it has changed what a film shot during the pandemic must look like. (...) Before they changed their mind, the team of about 25 headed to shoot in idyllic Chikkamagaluru. “We decided to do something, a short, a 90-minute film, a full feature... and release it in the theatre, on OTT or YouTube,” says Rishab. (...) “This was an adventurous process, and we were all high on energy,” says Rishab. (...) Hero was shot during lockdown, but they wanted it to look like a regular film. “Our only compromise was doing something differently from what we were used to, not on the quality,” says Bharath. “We tried to convert those limitations into a challenge that we could overcome. We were on set 24x7, and we spent every moment together. The cot you see in the trailer, that was where Rishab, Pramod Shetty and the others slept at night. We lived and shot together.” (...) Vikram Mor (...) came with just an assistant, and says they decided to shun any movement that defied physics and gravity or anything that needed a crane and ropes. “The focus was on realistic fights and we used everyone. The topography lent itself to some stunts. My assistant appeared in a scene, so did the director and his assistant. You can see my back too. In fact, Anirudh (Mahesh, cosceneggiatore) even wrote out the fight scenes. It was an invigorating experience,” he says. Rishab says that no one on set was anything less than involved. “That is the reason we have managed to do what we did. There was no hierarchy or division. Everyone did their job and went on to help the other.” (...) Bharath chips in to say that the one thing missing during filming was ego. “We were ruthless with feedback, and everyone accepted what was best for the film. It was a very democratic process”. (...) As for the ‘look’ that everyone is raving about, Bharath puts it down to the fact that everyone was involved in what was happening. “Many of the cast are non-actors. I did not interfere too much in how they reacted. When you give people freedom, it shows on screen.” (...) Vikram was initially supposed to be with the team for just two or three days. The film now has about 30-40 minutes of action. “I used everything we had in the spot - a stream, the undulating terrain - to create stunt sequences. And, everyone trained hard, because there was no other short-cut possible.” This film, says Vikram, has meant a lot of learning. “We learnt to push ourselves, we learnt what we were capable of, and we learnt to have fun too.”

CURIOSITÀ

* Rishab Shetty è anche il produttore del film. Rishab in passato ha diretto una manciata di pellicole, fra cui Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shale, Kasaragodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai, a cui è stato conferito il National Award per il miglior film per ragazzi.

Il cast di Hero