Bollywood World

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 30th October, 2015
Time : 123 minutes
Director : Prawaal Raman; Music : Various;
Starring : Randeep Hooda, Richa Chadha, Adil Hussain, Alexx O�Nell, Vipin Sharma, Tisca Chopra, Mandana Karimi, Lucky Morani, Dijana Dejanovic, Kanika Kapoor, Nandu Madhav, Anastasia Fomina, Sandeep Punia, Heeral Mei, Saurabh Sarkar



An interesting story but the narrative style gives the film a highly disjointed feel and we never really get to know the enigmatic title character � no attempts to fathom what / how Charles is thinking / doing � just moving from one episode to another, from one woman / sexual escapade to another.




Supposedly on the life of Charles Sobhraj, the movie focuses on his jailbreak from Delhi, his escape to Goa (and the partying there), his relationship with Richa Chaddha and the attempts of Adil Hussain and Madhav to catch him � the rest of his life is largely ignored and not referred to. The relentless back and forth (too many flashbacks) also don�t help us get a clear picture.



Randeep�s look is quite cool and his expressions are bang on but his accent doesn�t work / jars. Richa, Adil, Vipin, Alexx and Madhav are very good in their roles as are the bevy of beauties we encounter on Charles trail. The soundtrack is excellent as is the styling, mood, look of the film. The scenes between Tisca (Adil�s wife) and Adil, especially when she is unabashedly showing her interest in the life of Charles, were the pick of the movie.


Unfortunately, by focusing more on the sexual conquests, the bikinis and the backless scenes, than anything else, the makers reveal their intent. They don�t really engage us with the complete story or the brain behind the man but revel in the more salacious aspects of the story.


In India we�re normally not very good at biopics � either trying to present the entire life or falling prey to hero-worship. This one, at least, selects a part of his life � chooses which aspects of his personality to communicate. It does glorify a criminal, someone seen as a psychopath and a cold-blooded killer. But thankfully, thanks to the episodic nature of story-telling adopted by the director, we don�t really feel too much or too strongly about anything happening on the screen

Rating : 8/10
Release Date : 2nd October, 2015
Time : 132 minutes
Director : Meghna Gulzar; Writer, Music (& Producer) : Vishal Bhardwaj;
Starring : Irrfan Khan, Neeraj Kabi, Konkona Sen Sharma, Sohum Shah, Gajraj Rao, Sumit Gulati, Prakash Belwadi, Atul Kumar, Ayesha Parveen, Divya Bhatia, Shishir Sharma



As you watch this gripping, tense film you�re either thinking �this could happen to you� or �is this what really happened� ? What else do you say when you have cops as incompetent as ours, news media whipping up a bloodthirsty frenzy, an insatiable public only too ready with moral, hypocritical judgements, bureaucrats trying to save their own skin and that of their friends, back-stabbing for a promotion and finally, a judiciary that possibly (probably) over-steps it�s bounds.



This is a film about the infamous Arushi Talwar killing - the double murder of a fourteen year old girl and the manservant of a household in Noida (UP), where the parents of the unfortunate girl are currently languishing in jail. Make no mistake, the film-makers do take sides here � they are not just trying to bring you the facts (didn�t really follow the case so cannot vouch for their veracity) but also to give you their perspective, and also entertain you� Through clever casting and a crisp screenplay, the film does manage to cast more than a doubt on what has transpired in this shocking case.




The acting is excellent � whether it�s the paan-chewing Gajraj Rao as the investigating inspector, or Sumit Gulati as the overly helpful compounder, Sohum Shah as a diligent CDI (CBI equivalent) officer and Prakash Belwadi and Shishir Sharma as the outgoing and incoming heads of the CDI. The main leads excel too, as expected, with Neeraj and Konkona as the anguished, uncommunicative parents and Irrfan as the main investigating officer of the CDI, in the centre of this storm. And in all of this, Tabu, in a guest appearance, still manages to make an impact.



The film is handled extremely well. Meghna, in her second film, shows a deft touch, getting great performances from her cast (she succeeds particularly with the parents) and also, thanks to the story by her mentor, Vishal Bhardwaj, the titillation and the more sleazy aspects of the case are minimized, with the human aspects played out skillfully. This film isn�t an easy watch, especially if you�re parents and even more so if you have a young daughter, but it does make an impact � a very strong one at that.