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As the new year begins, a number of popular electric vehicles, specifically some Tesla and General Motors models, could be eligible for $7,500 worth of tax credits they weren't eligible for in 2022. But that eligibility may last only last a few months.

Ved, review: The craze phase

Ved, review: The craze phase

To those who do not know Marathi, and maybe a few of those who do, the word Ved, with its present spelling, could mean the ancient scripture of Hindus, part of the Vedas. But that is not what it means here. It could also mean ‘time’, which has a similar pronunciation. Negative again. Ved is an approximation of the sound that means madness or craze in Marathi. Ved, the film, is about craze, no doubt. In fact, many a craze. The protagonist confesses that he is mad about two things, his lady-love and the game of cricket. Cricket is in focus for about half the film, perhaps more, but the only real stroke-makers we see at the wicket are debutant director Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh himself and a child prodigy (not to mention a few supporting members of the teams), no real cricketers, even in special appearances. It’s a queer mix of cricket match-fixing, man-woman match-making (or fixing) and a politician’s evil designs. The film promises a lot but delivers much less. Yet, from the perspective of Marathi audiences, who enjoyed Deshmukh’s double role in Lai Bhaari (Very Heavy, 2014), it could get ‘selected’, like a cricket player, and be given a viewing.

Spread over 12 years, the story is about a cricketer named Sattya, who is a devastating batsman, but becomes a victim of corruption. He has to bribe his way into the Railways team. Even there, there is no respite, for a local politician, Bhaskar Anna, backs a rival team and thinks nothing of resorting to murder if umpires refuse to play ball. To earn the bribe money, he and his pal Ganesh work as helping hands at an engagement ceremony. While fixing electrical wires and bulbs, Satya notices a girl who is actively involved in the arrangements. He falls head over heels in love with her, and, as luck would have it, she trips on a wire, and is rescued by Satya’s arms, in a classic RK Films logo pose. Their eyes meet for a while, then she quips, “Now let me go. Or are you planning to take me home?” That is exactly what he would like, but he comes from a lower middle class family (his father is a ticket checker in the railways) while she belongs to a richie rich house. Her name is Nisha.

Nisha’s father Murali is dead against his daughter getting married to Sattya, and marries her off to another, rich suitor. Heartbroken, Sattya hits the bottle and puffs away to glory. Under these circumstances, another woman come into his life: Shrawani. Unbeknownst to him, she, his school-mate, has been in love with him ever since he hit a ball into her glass window. Even as the glass shattered, he made a place in her heart. Nothing but a waster now, Sattya and his father Dinkarrao are greatly surprised when she decides to marry him, and is willing to die, if her parents refuse to approach Sattya with the proposal. The marriage takes place, but it remains a marriage only in name. Sattya is unable to forget Nisha and give up his liquor addiction. Shrawani puts up with all this and more, without so much as a whimper. Sometime later, Sattya gets an assignment to coach an under 14-years girls’ cricket team, and he comes face to face with wonder-kid Khushi, who can clobber any bowler all over the park. She kindles the spark of life within Sattya, who was, till then, merely existing, not living.

Story by Shiva Nirvana (probably refers to the Telugu original; this one is a remake) has been adapted for the screen by Rushikesh Turai, Sandeep S. Patil, and Riteish Deshmukh. The subject tries to ride two boats at the same time: cricket and love, but succeeds only partially. Cricket is India’s national obsession, but the level of cricket shown in the film is way down, not exciting enough to evince keen interest. On the love front, the protagonist is a rank loser, ending up a drunkard and good-for-nothing chap. These factors do not generate positive vibes. Moreover, the legislator is delineated as a complete stereo-type, potentially very powerful, but practically unable to assert himself in his fiefdom. Two major fights find place in the narrative, both between Bhaskar Anna’s goons and Sattya. How a normal looking Satyya beats them to pulp is a secret only the fight composer and Riteish Deshmukh know.

Khushi, who is vying for a place in the under 14 team, looks nothing more than 8-9 years old. She should have been trying for the under 12 team, instead. And why is a man preferred to coach a girls’ team? Aren’t there enough women cricketers around? Women’s cricket is slightly different from men’s. Several scenes seem to have been written with the specific intention of getting the participants in the scene to mouth either claptrap or verbose dialogue, punctuated with dual word-play on rearranged premises of speech. An example of a god scene that loses its charm due to repetition is the ‘finding’ of large sums of money in Sattya’s clothes by Shrawani. An excellent piece of writing that suffers due to multiple repetition. Nothing more than twice was required.

Wonder what prompted Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh to choose a subject for his directorial debut that requires the actor in him to look ‘twelve years younger’ (as a caption card says) in the story (actually much more, if you consider his real age of 44 years), and spend a lot of screen-time just drinking and smoking. There is very little that is likeable about this character. Yes, he does restore the electric supply to the neighbourhood when a wire trips, earning admiration. There are a few deft directorial touches, like the bold whisper into his ear by Nisha, “I want to make love to you,” the way Shrawani is introduced, emerging from under an umbrella, unlike the hair being tossed from behind the shoulder to in front of it, with a turn of the head to face the camera, as is the beaten-to-death norm, and the way in which Shrawani steadfastly stands by him when he is the butt of all rebukes. Deshmukh also manages to get an appealing performance from the young girl, and never mind if she is as precocious as they come.

Another good scene, with a twist, is the one wherein he goes to a chemist’s shop to buy a condom. Till the point where he is finally able to tell the chemist what he wants, the scene seems to be pedestrian, and then comes a twist that makes it really funny. Since the protagonist’s family lives off the Mumbai coast, we see some eye-pleasing aerial shots of ferry boats, Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal hotel. Bringing in Salman Khan to do the customary item number, sans 200 semi-clad girls gyrating, as is the norm, was a good move. But relegating it to the end credit titles deprives his fans from enjoying him perform a Marathi song, maybe his first. Many would have left the auditorium by the time the song comes on. A couple of shot seem to go nowhere. These include the shots at the sea-shore, with a man (has to be Sattya) lying in the water and a motor-cycle coming up, with a pillion rider.

Although he is in Devdas mode for most of the time, at least in the second half, Riteish Vilasrao Deshmukh, as Sattya, springs a surprise. This performance is a far cry from the zany comedies he has done in Hindustani, like Heyy Babyy, Dhamaal, House Full. Double Dhamaal and Housefull 2. There is a base tone in his voice and the dialogues are spoken with deliberation, rather than spurted out. For the greater part, his acting is realistic, but we have to discount those two run-ins where the action is one-sided. Jia Shankar, actress known for her work in television and in two films down south, makes her Hindustani film debut. It’s a vivacious, sexy, bubbly debut, as she leads the affair with Sattya, who, of course, is besotted with her. She expresses her desire to have sex with Sattya and rescues him from a deadly end when goons sent by her father and Bhaskar Anna set upon him. One feels that the director drew some inspiration from the character of the heroine in Bobby (1973). Ashok Saraf, all of 75 now, is cast as Sattya’s father, Dinkarrao. There is a slightly comic streak in his persona, but most of the laughs he gets are on witty dialogue, not crude, double entendre jokes that he had to enact in Marathi and Hindi films. Raviraj Kande plays the politician Bhaskar Anna like any other actor would. Yes, he looks the part.

Ved is the Marathi debut of Genelia Deshmukh, and it is a good debut. She has a meaty role and delivers long lines of dialogue well. While there is little to admire in Sattya except his cricket, Genelia’s character, Shrawani has everything going for it. If anything, it is too good to be true. But she exhibits a Ved of a different kind, just as Sattya and Nisha showed Ved in their approach to life. Good support comes from Vidyadhar Joshi as Murali, Shubhankar Tawde as Jonty (probably named after the iconic South African cricketer, known for his athletic fielding), Vinnet Sharma as Kumar and Vikram Gaikwad as the Coach. The pick of the lot, however, is young Khushi Hajare, playing Khushi. She delivers what the doctor…director ordered, and more, and carves a niche for herself in our hearts. It is not a debut. On the contrary, she is a veteran of a dozen outings in front of the camera, and the confidence is palpable.

Cinematography by Bhushankumar Jain is good but could be better. Editing by Chandan Arora fails to give the film a much required pace and lets it linger for all of 148 minutes. These include five songs, composed by Ajay-Atul, who have also written four of the songs. The songs are well –written and creatively composed, enough to be hummed outside the auditorium.

Ved is not a film that can trigger a craze, but there will be a substantial number who will enjoy this on screen craze phase of Riteish, Genelia, Jia and Khushi.

Rating: ** ½

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al2Gtph9ytI

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Kabul professor tears up diplomas on live TV to protest Taliban ban on women's education

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Former Pope Benedict is 'lucid and vigilant' but his condition remains serious, Vatican says

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Benjamin Netanyahu sworn in as leader of Israel's likely most right-wing government ever

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UN halts some aid programs in Afghanistan after Taliban's ban on female NGO workers

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Connect, Review: ConnectShun

Connect, Review: ConnectShun

Many a film, both Indian and foreign, has exploited the theme of an evil spirit possessing an innocent victim, usually a teenage girl, the havoc it causes in the victim’s skeletal family and the exorcism that has to be performed to get rid of the evil spirit. Some have been of a high quality, while the others have been mere pot-boilers. Connect, made with scarce resources, as it would appear, has nothing new to offer, except some special effects. A supernatural horror movie, it has very little horror, though a lot of the content deals with the supernatural. And viewing it in very poorly dubbed and sub-titled Hindi makes it all the more unbearable for the audience. Mercifully, the length is kept short, at 99 minutes, though within these 99, there is a lot of repetition. Unless you are a die-hard fan of the genre and love any film that gives you a few jump-scares, strange thumping noises all around a house, and a practical guide to exorcism, as prescribed by the church, you better not connect with Connect.

It's Covid time, and the setting in Maharashtra-Goa, for the Hindi version of this Tamil film. Dr. Joseph Benoy, a doting father, is making a case for his daughter Anna, a gifted guitar-player and singer, to go to Trinity College, London, where she has already secured admission. Her mother, Susan, and her maternal grandfather, Arthur Samuel, oppose the idea, citing Anna’s young age as the reason. She appears to be in her early teens. All seem to agree that she should go after another three years. Just then, Dr. Joseph receives a phone call from a colleague, who calls him to the hospital for an emergency. After that, Dr. Joseph remains in the hospital, as Covid cases multiply. But he keeps in touch with his family via video conferencing. Then comes the blow. Joseph himself contracts the Corona virus, and succumbs to the disease.

Although all the members of his family are deeply affected, Anna is unable to reconcile herself to the loss. She uses an Ouija board to connect with a woman, who assures her that she will be able to talk to her father, if she recites the magic words. But she must not break the connection before it is completed, or else it could be disastrous. Anna agrees and begins to recite the words, after the woman, and just then, her mother knocks on the door, wondering what she is up to, with the lights off. The connection is interrupted. Anna tries to-re-establish the connection, but all she sees is the woman lighting candles and doing something not clearly visible. Soon, strange, thumping noises are heard all around the house and Anna sleeps most of the time and wants to be left alone. One day, Susan finds inverted cross signs all over Anna’s room, and Anna herself is seen plastered at the ceiling, from where she jumps on Susan. Unable to understand the goings-on, Susan first seeks therapy to help Anna, and when that does not work, she and her father decide to approach the church, which tries regular methods.  When they don’t work, they seek the help of Father Augustine, an exorcist.

Made in a home movie style, Connect is written by the husband-wife team of Ashwin Saravanan and Kaavya Ramkumar, their second collaboration after Game Over. It is directed by Ashwin Saravanan, who directed Game Over. There are many issues on the writing side and as many on the direction side. Right in the beginning, Dr. Joseph shapes to hurl Anna intro the water at a sea-shore, and then, suddenly pulls back. It could be a prank, but it is never explained. It is not explained how Anna got hold of the Ouija game and how did it become real. There are times when you cannot tell whether the two persons talking to each other are in the same room or it is a video call in progress. Both are shown in full-screen size.

No harm comes to Susan at all, although she is in constant touch with Anna. Even when she straightens a cross that was inverted by Anna, nothing happens. The story moves in a straight line. A girl behaves funnily, she is given therapy that fails, then she is given the treatment prescribed by the church, administered by a local priest which fails too, and then she is subjected to exorcism, performed by a specialist. So many films have been made on this pattern that instead of horror or shock, one gets the feeling of ennui. Blame it on William Peter Blatty and William Friedkin, who initiated the ‘enterprise’ by making The Exorcist (1973), a cult film. Fifty years down the line, maybe makers wanted to pay tribute to the cult classic. However, this is one tribute The Exorcist can do without.                        

Projected as the big leap for actress Nayanthara (born Diana Mariam Kurian, now 38 years old), who plays Susan, it is a case of over-hype. She is good, but repeatedly shrieking “Anna…Anna” is not the way to show her credentials. A star in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films, Nayanthara would rather not consider Connect, produced by her husband, Vignesh Shivan, as her Hindi debut. Sathyaraj as Arthur Samuel, her father, looks perplexed all through the film. We don’t know whether he is on a video call or physically present. In one scene, he is travelling in a car, and suddenly asks the driver to stop, because he has seen something on the phone. He gets off, and keeps looking at the phone. It is a confusing scene. Where was he going? Why did he get off? What happened afterwards?

Vinay Rai is good as Dr. Joseph Benoy. Haniya Nafisa is the true star, as Anna, but we hardly see her. She is always shown in dull lighting or in a dark patch. Avinash as Father Alex, the first priest, does justice to his role. Mekha Rajan appears out of nowhere as the Ouija Board practitioner, but makes the most of small role. As the exorcist, Father Augustine, Anupam Kher probably finished his entire role in one shift, and that included long lines in English. That is about all that can be said about his role, which must have been accepted only for the bread and butter it brought.

Cinematography by Manikantan Krishnamachary keeps us in the dark most of the time. There are some tricks and special effects, very few, to be sure, that redeem the camerawork. Edited by Richard Kevin, who provides a few jump scares (the audio is more eerie) the 99-minute film comes with a recommendation that there should be no interval. Makes sense, because the possession and the exorcism keep building up. But the build-up is never enough to keep you on the edge of your seat or grope for the hand of your neighbour. The rule is simple. If you are making a genre film, you have to go beyond what has already been filmed and seen. If you can’t, don’t bother making it. Instead of going beyond the genre benchmark, Connect is not even in step with it. Sadly, it is lagging behind. Instead of establishing a Connection, it succeeds only in ConnectShun, a ‘connect’ that audiences might shun.

Rating: * ½

Trailer: https://youtu.be/dqhPxTldBZU

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Guns temporarily banned from Brazil's capital ahead of Lula da Silva's inauguration

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Marathi film Saath Sobat’s trailer launched

Marathi film Saath Sobat’s trailer launched

The trailer of the upcoming Marathi film Saath Sobat, which follows the release of its popular teaser, was released today at the Famous Cine Laboratories’ mini-theatre, at Mahalaxmi, Mumbai. This trailer gives an indication of what the audience will actually get to see and explains the true meaning of the words, Saath Sobat. Saath Sobat will be released on January 13, 2023.

The ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including artistes and technicians. Presented by Prasanna Vaidya, Saath Sobat is produced by Dhanji Maru, under the banner Maru Enterprises. It is written and directed by Ramesh More, who has earned acclaim for films like

Mahasatta 2008, Swatantrachi Aisi Taisi 2009, Champions 2010 (national award), Amhi ka Tisre 2011, Sur Rahu De 2012, Shoor Amhi Sardar 2013 and Anandi 2014. Sameer Dixit and Rishikesh Bhirangi of Pickle Entertainment will look after the distribution of Saath Sobat film across Maharashtra.

'Kadhi tari kevha tari vata haravlya...' is a song that depicts life through words. The song also features veteran actor-director Rajdutt, who is all of 80 years old now. After watching the trailer, one gets the impression that the story of this film will convey some important message to the audience, along with the scenic beauty of the Konkan region of Maharashtra.

Sangram Samel, who has worked in three mediums such as serials, films and plays, is playing the lead role in the film, paired with debutant Mrunal Kulkarni (young namesake of the 51 year-old veteran). Apart from this, Rajdutt, Mohan Joshi, Anil Gavas, Amol Redij, Dilip Asurdekar are the actors in this film. Mohan Joshi could not attend the event due to ill health.

Harshal Kantak has done the cinematography and Abhishek Mhaskar has done the editing. Yashshree More has written the lyrics for this film. Along with music direction, Mahesh Naik has also given background music for this film. Mahesh, who was present, must have scored the background music of 5,000-10,000 TV episodes and should feature in the Guinness Book of World Records. The costumes and getup are done by Yashshree More, who plays a ‘triple role’, and the makeup has been done by Santosh Chari and Satish Bhavsar. Meenal Ghag has handled the hairdressing along with the dance choreography, while the art direction has been done by Prakash Kamble. Executive producers of Saath Sobat are Kaushik Maru and Yashshree More.

Dhanji Maru, who is Mumbai-born, surprised everybody by speaking in fluent Marathi, although his mother tongue is Gujarati. Ramesh More shared with the audience in a lighter vein that the fact that the trophies in his home, seen when he was visited by Maru, must have convinced him to agree to produce the film. Talking of the film’s subject, he said that since the young men and women of Konkan are all settled in Mumbai, he felt that there must be only old men and women left there. Then he heard of a medical service provided by two generations of doctors, and that helped him formulate the story. Mrunal Kulkarni entreated the audience to watch the film on the big screen, for Saath Sobat deserved to be watched in a cinema hall. Dilip Asurdekar could not tire of showering praise on Rajdatt, who he found be humble beyond belief.

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Thai warship that sank, killing 6, had too few life jackets, admiral says

Thai naval officials said Tuesday there were not enough life jackets for everyone aboard a warship that sank early Monday in severe weather in the Gulf of Thailand with the loss of at least six lives.

Britain is being hit by a wave of strikes. Why have things got so bad?

Another day, another round of strikes in Britain.

TikTok executive refuses Jake Tapper's multiple requests to acknowledge China's treatment of Uyghurs

In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper Tuesday, a TikTok executive refused multiple times to acknowledge China's treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, which the US State Department has labeled a genocide and a United Nations report said may constitute "crimes against humanity."

Mexico grants asylum to the family of Peru's ousted President Pedro Castillo

The family of Peru's ousted President Pedro Castillo has been granted asylum by the Mexican government, Mexico's foreign minister said Tuesday amid ongoing protests in the Andean nation, which has left dozens of people dead.

First on CNN: 2 Americans held by the Taliban have been released, sources tell CNN

• Taliban suspend university education for women in Afghanistan • Opinion: India's 'murder most foul' has a chilling subtext

Taliban suspend university education for women in Afghanistan

The Taliban government has suspended university education for all female students in Afghanistan, the latest step in its brutal clampdown on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women.

American home building slumped again in November

Home building pulled back in November, as buyers faced spiking mortgage rates topping 7% that make homes increasingly unaffordable. Rates fell slightly through the month, but are still double what they were a year ago, continuing to put pressure on new home purchases.

Officials identify suspect in Canada condo shooting that killed 5

Overrun Amsterdam targets sex and drugs tourists with 'stay away' campaign

It's barely dusk on a cold Saturday afternoon in early December. But Amsterdam's Red Light District is already starting to heat up.

Dutch prime minister apologizes for the Netherlands' role in the slave trade

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte apologized Monday for the Netherlands' "slavery past," which he said continues to have "negative effects."

Pope Francis orders Vatican to return Parthenon sculptures to Greece

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Move over Airpods: These headphones are having a moment

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America has tipping fatigue

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Turn Your Rising Home Equity Into Cash You Can Use

How Iran's regime gains access and information from the social media accounts of protesters

In between being blindfolded, locked in solitary confinement, and interrogated in a wheelchair while she was on a hunger strike following her late September arrest, Negin says she had a realization: Iranian officials were using her private Telegram chats, phone logs and text messages to incriminate her.

UK's controversial plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda ruled lawful by court

The UK's controversial policy to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda was deemed lawful by the country's High Court on Monday.

Peru evacuates hundreds of stranded tourists amid protests

Hundreds of tourists stranded in the ancient city of Machu Picchu are being evacuated after Peru was plunged into a state of emergency following the ousting of the country's president.

Nepal president gives parties a week to form new government

Nepal's president on Sunday called on the country's political parties to try to form a new government within a week after last month's inconclusive national election.

A billionaire couple was found strangled near their pool. Their family is offering $35 million to help catch their killer

• Highland Park suspected shooter's father is charged with felony reckless conduct

Kenny DeLand Jr., formerly missing American college student, on flight back to US

American college student Kenny DeLand Jr. has been reunited with his mother in Lyon, France, and is on his way back to the US, according to a French diplomatic official.

Israel deports French-Palestinian lawyer, accusing him of 'terrorist activity' in case Israeli group calls 'gross violation of basic rights'

Israel deported a French-Palestinian lawyer it accused of organizing, inciting and planning "terrorist attacks" to France early Sunday morning, Israeli authorities said, in a case that an Israeli human rights organization called a "gross violation of basic rights."

Fuel tanker tunnel fire kills at least 19 in Afghanistan

At least 19 people have been killed and 32 others were injured when a fuel tanker caught fire in a tunnel north of the Afghan capital of Kabul, a local official said Sunday.

Pope Francis has already signed resignation letter in case of bad health

Pope Francis has revealed in a new interview that he has already signed his resignation letter to be used in the event of him becoming "impaired."

First on CNN: Retired top military officials push for bill to help Afghans

Roughly two dozen former leaders of the US military -- including retired chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a former Supreme Allied commander of NATO and several former commanders in Afghanistan -- sent a letter to US congressional leaders Saturday evening urging them to act quickly to save Afghan allies who currently run the risk of deportation.

Mother of a stranded tourist in Peru hopes her daughter makes it home for Christmas, as hundreds grounded amid protests

It's only a week until Christmas, and Mechelle Lutsko is holding onto hope that her daughter, one of the hundreds of tourists stranded in Peru, will make it home in time.

Joe Kennedy III expected to be named as special envoy to Northern Ireland

President Joe Biden is expected to name former congressman Joe Kennedy III as his special envoy to Northern Ireland for economic affairs, according to two people familiar with the plans, installing a member of one of the United States' most famous political families to the post at a critical moment for the region.

'There are red lines': Europe warns of sanctions after Twitter bans journalists

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It's official: now avoid credit card interest into 2024

Analysis: Pakistan's Taliban problem is America's too

When the United States withdrew its forces from Afghanistan after 20 years in the country, it did so on a promise that the Taliban once back in government would provide no haven for terrorist groups.

Two dead and more than 50 missing in landslide near Malaysian capital

Two people are dead and more than 50 are missing after a landslide struck a campsite in Malaysia early on Friday, officials said, as search and rescue personnel scoured the site for survivors.

North Korea claims successful rocket test that could bolster its ICBM force

North Korea on Friday said it has successfully tested a solid-fueled rocket motor, a development that could lead to Kim Jong Un's regime being able to more quickly and reliably fire an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in the future.

DOC NYC 2022

DOC NYC is the largest North American documentary festival and returned for the 13^th edition in 2022, presenting an amazing success story for a relatively young festival. DOC NYC is produced and presented by the IFC Center, a division of AMC Networks. It was held in person from November 9-17 at IFC Center, SVA Theatre, Cinepolis Chelsea. DOC NYC continued online through November 27 with most of the festival’s films available for streaming through their own platform. The program included 110 feature lengths documentaries and over 90 shorts as well as numerous events. DOC NYC 2022 showcased 29 Word and 27 US premieres. The main slate US and International Competition section featured 23 premieres. Held for the second time, Kaleidoscope Competition focused on innovative poetic and narrative productions from around the globe and the perennial Metropolitan Competition carried New York stories and personalities. The non-competition sections remain very popular and included again “Fight the Power” on activism, “Short List” with 15 Oscar nominees and awardees, and “Winners Circle” highlighting films with significant awards from international festivals. 

Compared to prior years, more sponsors appeared to support DOC NYC 2022.  This may be the result of the growing popularity of documentary productions, ready access to these films through streaming services and at home viewing, and the relative decline of traditional film consumption. The major 2022 sponsors included A&E, HBO, NBC, Netflix, Discovery, National Geographic, Showtime, Amazon Studios, Hulu, and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Screened as the closing night film, the extraordinary innovative 2022 documentary THE CONSPIRACY world premiered at the festival. This feature by Russian American Maxim Pozdorovkin included startling animated segments and archival footage. Superbly researched, the director covers more than 250 years of antisemitic conspiracies targeting Jewish groups and their frequently deadly impact on the victims. One of the outstanding features of THE CONSPIRACY is that it shares the origins of antisemitic thoughts with the audience and provides detailed information and data that elucidates an issue which has which is still topical today, the widespread propagation of false narratives. THE CONSPIRACY clarifies that these devastating beliefs have been an essential part of Western European and American convictions for a long time. They gained their power mostly after being adopted and spread by policymakers, religious figures, and interest groups to serve their needs. Antisemitic conspiratorial ideologies also provided readymade answers to the conflicts generated by the turmoil of industrialization and modernization, the rise of the capitalist class structure and its wealth disparities, and open armed conflicts. These ideologies gave a false face to the enemy and a narrative that the ruling powers were not at fault but instead it was well-connected secret Jewish groups using their wealth for exploitation. The French revolution and the opening of civil society for Jews in France and other countries becomes part of the conspiracy. The film shows the role of the Jesuit Augustin Barruel tying the French Revolution to Jews and the widespread use of the Elders of Zion Protocol to blame Jewish people for problems in society. The documentary examines how ruling figures like Czar Nicholas used conspiratorial thought to oppress Jews and like other prominent figures disputed the concept of civil rights for Jews. Others, like Henry Ford, an admirer of Adolf Hitler, funded widespread publications of antisemitic thought in the United States. The director, Pozdorovkin, devotes enlightening long passages to three well known Jewish families and their victimization by the antisemitic structures of their countries The French officer Alfred Dreyfus, the German Banker Max Warburg, and the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky who was born into the Jewish Bronstein family. The sensitive portrayal of these individuals and their families by outstanding actors was impressive and made THE CONSPIRACY an even more powerful and influential exploration of this dark history.

THE WINDS BLOWS THE BORDER, a Brazilian documentary which received the International Feature Documentary Special Jury Price at Hot Docs 2022 was directed by Laura Faerman and Marina Weis and produced by Julio Matos.  It presented both sides of the long lasting struggle between the Guarani-Kaiowá people and the expanding agribusiness in a region bordering Paraguay that encompasses 10,00 hectares (24,700 acres). Produced in late 2022, before the defeat of former president Jair Bolsonaro and the election of Lula da Silva, the documentary captures the positions of the indigenous people defending their land and of the ‘ruralistas’, the wealthy land owners agribusiness operators. What is at stake for the native people is the destruction of their land and communal life forcing resistance to the white groups claiming ownership of the land. On the other side are families claiming ownership of land they are occupying and expanding. From a legal perspective, the ownership issue has not been clarified. The native people invoke their sovereignty and constitutional rights. The landowners claim 123 privately held farms have already invaded. The landowners are represented by attorney Luana Ruiz who is allied with Bolsonaro and heiress to family land. Ruiz suggests that federal intervention is urgently required to restore order. Ruiz argues that the impunity of indigenous actions undermines the landowners, though landowners and the allied agribusiness dominate the judicial system in that region. If the new president Lula can change the situation remains to be seen.  His victory was by a slim margin and the wealthy landowners do not support him, nor the legislative assemblies which are dominated by supporters of the former president Bolsonaro. Interspersed sections in the film show wealthy landowners’ lifestyles and views, rituals of the native people and their demonstrations in cities faced with armed responses. The images and statements of a young girl recalling her grandfather’s observations and those who were killed in the struggle against settlers add emotional appeal to the documentary.

 

Claus Mueller filmexchange@gmail.com

New York

 

 

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British nurses set to launch historic strike, as pay and staffing crises threaten the NHS

Nurses across much of the UK are set to launch a historic strike on Thursday, as they prepare to walk out of hospitals and onto picket lines after several years of falling pay and declining standards left the country's nationalized health care system in a state of crisis.

El Salvador has arrested 2% of its adult population in its war on gangs. Other countries are taking note

Eight months since El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced a war on gangs, an estimated 2% of the country's adult population -- or roughly 100,000 people -- are now behind bars.

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Chinese diplomats wanted by UK police for questioning return to Beijing

China has removed its consul-general and five other British-based diplomats wanted by police for questioning in connection to the alleged beating of a Hong Kong protester in the English city of Manchester.

Paroled Bali bomber apologizes for nightclub attacks that killed 202

An Indonesian bomb maker convicted for his role in the deadly 2002 Bali nightclub attacks has apologized to the victims' families, after his release from prison was met with outrage in Australia.

Iran expelled from UN commission on women

United Nations member states have removed Iran from a key UN women's rights group just months after it joined. The unusual reversal comes as Iran is rattled by an ongoing protest movement sparked by the death of a young woman in the custody of the country's so-called "morality police"

Floods kill at least 120 in Kinshasa

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An Ethiopian professor was murdered by a mob. A lawsuit alleges Facebook fueled the violence

The son of an Ethiopian chemistry professor who was killed during unrest in the country last year has filed a lawsuit against Meta, Facebook's parent company, alleging that the social media platform is fueling viral hate and violence, harming people across eastern and southern Africa.

One week into office, Peru's new President Dina Boluarte battles to contain widespread protests

One week into her presidency, Peru's new President Dina Boluarte is battling to contain widespread protests that erupted after the ousting of former President Pedro Castillo. She is the country's sixth president in less than five years.

Analysis: Ban TikTok? How Republicans are 'playing to the Fox News crowd'

Republicans are escalating their attacks on TikTok.

US Space Force establishes first foreign command in South Korea as threat from North grows

The US military activated its first Space Force command on foreign soil on Wednesday in South Korea, with the unit's new commander saying he is ready to face any threat in the region.

Visa wait times of over 2 years are keeping Indian travelers out of the US

Chaitali Aggarwal had long dreamed of visiting New York from her home in the Indian capital, New Delhi. And so in 2020, she applied for a tourist visa for herself and her father.

Who is the director behind Harry and Meghan's docuseries?

After much speculation over the fate of Netflix's docuseries "Harry & Meghan," the first three episodes finally arrive Thursday, offering an intimate look at the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and, as the trailers suggest, further insight into why they stepped down from their royal duties.

Ajay Wardhan, Review: Toothache

Ajay Wardhan, Review: Toothache

What do you get when a film about a dentist gives you an ache? Toothache, right? Not headache.

Ajay Wardhan is inspired by true events, which only goes to prove that truth is worse than fiction. While receiving an award, B.D.S. (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) Dr. Ajay Wardhan faces TV reporters, and their leading questions lead him to narrate a 96-minute flashback, more or less in sequence. Probably due to drinking and smoking scenes and one scene of a battered face, the film has been given a UA certificate, but one wonders whether Wardhan would have the gall to narrate these incidents to the press.

In the cast are Romil Chaudhary (Ajay Wardhan senior), Abhimanyu Aryan (Ajay Wardhan junior), Pihu Sharma as Pragati Agarwal (the heroine’s name is Pragati Agarwal, same as the writer director’s, and that cannot be a co-incidence), Kshitij Patwardhan as Vijay Wardhan, Yogesh Vatts (Vijay Junior), Aman Bhogal as Radha Devi, Ajay's Mother, Ravi as Ramnath Ji, Ajay's Father, Dimple Bagroy as Rashmi Agarwal, Pragati's Mother, Girish Thapar as Manoj Kumar, Pragati's Father, Dr. Nikita Sabarwal as a Journalist, along with Ruslaan Mumtaz, Arjumman Mughal, Aham Sharma, Priya Sharma, Aishwarya Raj Bhakuni and Rashiprabha Sandeepani. One of these might be the chap playing the Lucknow lad, Ankit. Why he was told to speak in a Bihari accent, only he and the writer-director know.

It has cinematography (some bright colours and aerial shots) by Yuvraj Indoria, Shakti Indoria and Sukhan Saar. The brutal editing, with some 100 shots of 4 frames each, is by Shubham Srivastav, Prabhat Ojha, Ankit Govind Dubey, Gagan Sharma and Manish Eklavya. Hold on…there is one more name…Priya. That makes six editors and three cinematographers. The more the merrier. And too bad if too many cooks spoil the broth.

Music is by Monty Sharma, with songs ending before they can get catchy. These include an item song that goes ‘Akkad bakkad bambey bo, which stays on screen long enough’.

Ajay Wardhan is written and directed by Pragati Agarwal. Screenplay and direction are both conspicuous by their absence. Agarwal probably set out to make a home video, and then somebody convinced her that this is cinema material. That somebody should take all the blame. It is not bad as amateur home video, but holds little or no interest for film-buffs, even as a biopic or docu-feature. Theatre-going audiences, if they do reach the cinema halls where Ajay Wardhan is playing, are likely to suffer the same ache that I did.

There is one redeeming factor, though: the length. Imagine watching it for only 96 minutes…just about the time takes for a root-canal treatment sitting.

Rating: * ½

Trailer: https://youtu.be/yXGpV2y3aek

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Former US pilot held in Australia faces charges over training Chinese military pilot

Former US Marine pilot Daniel Duggan, who was arrested earlier this year in Australia, is accused of breaking US arms control law by training Chinese military pilots to land on aircraft carriers, according to an indictment unsealed by a US court.

Indian and Chinese troops clash on disputed border

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Police officers among 6 killed in rural Australia gun battle

Two police officers were shot dead in an ambush outside a house in rural northeast Australia Monday, sparking an hours-long gun battle that ended with the deaths of all three suspected shooters, Queensland police said.

The latest on the Lockerbie bombing suspect in US custody

Peru's president asks Congress to bring elections forward amid protests

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Israeli military admits shooting 16-year-old Palestinian girl

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Kosovo calls for NATO intervention after weekend of violence amid rising ethnic tensions

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Lockerbie bombing suspect is now in US custody

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China to abolish its Covid-19 trace tracking service, the 'Mobile Itinerary card,' on Tuesday, officials say

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Adam Scott, Naomi Campbell, Aubrey Plaza among the celebrities honoring this year's CNN Heroes

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CALL FOR ENTRIES - ZOE AWARDS FESTIVAL

CALL FOR ENTRIES November 18th-February 2023:  The ZOE AWARDS Festival is accepting short films, animations, documentary including branded film shorts.  In addition, this is our first year to accept podcasts, web series, NFTs and Alexa Skills!   Visit - ZOEAWARDS.COM 

Categories:
– Official Competitions
Short Films, documentaries, animations under 25 minutes, all genres except

– Animation Competition
Animation film shorts under 25 minutes, all genres.

– Smartphone Shorties
All genre shorties under 15 minutes shot on smartphones.

– Branded Shorts
Film shorts under 20 minutes that communicates a positive brand message.

– Podcasts
All types including True Crime,

– Alexa Skills *NEW
All types including games, health/wellness, food, kids, education, etc.

– Podcasts
All types including True Crime,

– NFT Creations *NEW
ZOE AWARDS wants to celebrate excellence in the new NFT space for digital arts, audio, video.

++ You can submit your works on https://zoeawards.com or https://filmfreeway.com/zoeawardsfestival  

 

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Shadow Assassins, Review: If ULFA cannot get you, SULFA will

Shadow Assassins, Review: If ULFA cannot get you, SULFA will

India’s north-eastern state of Assam has always been a hotbed of militancy. Here is an excerpt from a 27 January 2022 report published in Outlook, by Nitin A. Gokhale

“In a major fratricidal attack, militants of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) killed 14 of their former comrades, known collectively as SULFA (for surrendered ULFA) in upper Assam's Dibrugarh district, on Thursday morning. Ten other SULFA members were injured in the attack, described as daring and skillful by security agencies.

According to Assam's minister of State for Home, Pradyut Bordoloi, some 50 SULFA members had assembled at the Moran Club this morning to discuss formation of an NGO when two car-loads of ULFA militants armed with hand grenades and automatic weapons AK-47 rifles descended on the meeting venue, surrounded the former militants and fired indiscriminately killing 12 of them on the spot, while 2 others died on the way to Assam Medical College. The assailants, who had come in two vehicles, fled immediately after the attack.”

Such is the stuff the film Shadow Assassins is made of. It centers around one family and the beloved of the youngest among three brothers. Naturally, it has violence and gunnings, not to mention explosions. If these were to suffice in making a film interesting and compelling, Shadow Assassins would have ranked very high on the cinematic quotient. Fact is that the film fails to keep you on the edge of your seat with its violence and thrills and also fails to carry you with it in the drama and love angles. Overall, it is a case of noble intentions but below the mark execution.

Shadow Assassins is the story of a young ambitious boy, Nirbhay Kalita, who gets sucked into the world of vengeance when his entire family is assassinated by masked killers and the police do nothing in the matter. He is studying in Pune and comes back for a holiday to Guwahati, the capital of the state of Assam. Here, he gets kidnapped and his kidnappers want to know the whereabouts of his brother Mridul, who joined ULFA a decade ago. Nirbhay, fondly called Nir or Neer, has no idea about the whereabouts of his brother Mridul, neither does his other brother, a doctor. Mridul has never contacted his family in any manner in ten years. The kidnappers are holding another person captive, whose body is found near the river. Nirbhay is rescued, but now the police want to know the whereabouts of Mridul, and keep grilling him and his doctor brother, Dhiren.

Fearing for his life, Dhiren asks Nirbhay to go back to Pune, cutting short his vacation. Nirbhay leaves for Pune, and the very next day, his entire family is gunned down. Even his beloved Rimli is shot, but has a miraculous escape, although she remains unconscious for many days. Nirbhay joins ULFA and swears vengeance on the 10 men who killed his family. With the help of an informer, he is able to trace one of them, and through him, all ten. He hides in camps considered safe-houses, but he embarks on a trail of vengeance, to kill all ten. Meanwhile, he has married his beloved and fathered a child, Niloy. The mother is very wary of his visits and tells him to avoid coming to their house, lest he have an adverse effect on the little child. Nirbhay has managed to kill seven of the ten shadow assassins, when the police raid his hideout, loaded to the teeth with arms and ammunition.

Director Nilaanjan Reeta Datta (a two times National Film Award winner, and a graduate from the Film and Television Institute of India, FTII) joined hands with Navnitaa Sen, Rahul Kapoor and Sid Mahajan to form Finchbill Motion Pictures, which has produced this film, Datta’s Hindi debut. Incidentally, Datta has written the story himself, which borrows liberally from the real-life happenings. As many as 300 killings were reported in Assam during 1998-2000, attributed to the war between ULFA and SULFA. Nilaanjan Reeta Datta and Rohit Kumar’s screenplay is weak. Those who know about these killings through the media will find little new in it while those who do not know may not care as much as they should. One reason is that Assam is very far away from the rest of the country, and the second reason is that the events are 22-24 years old. The only two ways the screenplay could have worked are if they had made a gripping documentary or an edge-of-the-seat thriller. The scenario presented to us is half baked, tilting on either side. There is plenty of emotion and drama, nevertheless.

One misses a really intense ideological debate about the two factions, much more than the passing pronouncements of the factions. Merely chronicling their murderous missions, with negligible rationale,  does not engage the audience. The girl’s miraculous escape appears a cliché, even if it is based on a true-life incident. It is a dark chapter in Indian history, revisited, but certainly not the epilogue of the book about terrorism v/s the state. The run-ins continue. Dialogues by Raghav Dar and additional dialogues by Bhushan Ingole do not ring true. The Hindustani spoken by the native Assamese speakers has a strong accent, which is fine, but it is too much when they spout Hindustani idioms. Within the Kalita family, members speak with different accents. It seems illogical that Nirbhay’s wife Rimli feels that his visits to see his baby boy will have a deleterious effect on him. The baby is too small to get so affected. One can understand if the baby was 7-8 years old, at least. What she should be worrying more about is Nirbhay’s safety, for his visits might make him a target for the Shadow Assassins.

Now let’s look at the performances. Anurag Sinha (Black and White, Prisoners of War - Bandi Yuddh Ke, Kaun Banegi Sikharwati and Mannphodganj Ki Binny), is passable as Nirbhay Kalita. Mishti Chakraborty (Kaanchi: The Unbreakable, Adam Joan, Brihaspathi, Burra Katta, Manikarnika) as his love interest is bright. Rakesh Chaturvedi Om as the police inspector plays it the way we have seen a 100 films portray the police – in very bad light. Hemant Kher shows requisite emotions as Dr. Dhiren Kalita. K.P. Sandhu has a small role as Neeraj Deka, from the SULFA gang. Saharsh Kumar Shukla, Soumya Mukherjee, Akash Sinha, Ranjeev Lal Baruah, Stuti Choudhury, Mrigendra Konwar, Ranjita Baruah, Violet Nazir Tiwari (delivers as a concerned mother), Bibhuti Bhushan Hazarika (the poker-faced editor who will not carry Rimli’s true story) and Rohit K.P. (Chinmoy, Nirbhay’s best friend, a friendly portrayal) lend able to not so able support.

Music by Ashu Chakraborty is a highlight, in spite of some very awkward lines. Vocals by Javed Ali and Zubeen Garg (Assam’s gift to the nation) lift the score. Cinematography by Gargey Trivedi is a little blurry at times. Film editing by Navnita Sen offers us cuts on gunshots as a motif. Well, at least she keeps the length to 125 minutes. This Adults Only fare is not for the common man and will appeal to a niche audience. Shadow Assassins of Assam needed to be assisted by a tight script and assembled in a more competent manner, with associated material used to better effect.

Rating: **      

Trailer: https://youtu.be/E8Evi11IL00

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Tens of thousands protest in Bangladesh to demand resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Dhaka on Saturday calling for the dissolution of parliament to make way for new elections, and demand the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Russian Nobel laureate who helped expose atrocities of the Stalin era slams Putin in acceptance speech

• Live updates: Russia demanded a spy held in Germany be freed in exchange for Paul Whelan • Freed Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout says he 'wholeheartedly' supports Ukraine war and would volunteer if he could • Putin floats possibility of nuclear 'first use'

A trash heap 62 meters high shows the scale of India's climate challenge

At the Bhalswa landfill in northwest Delhi, a steady flow of jeeps zigzag up the trash heap to dump more garbage on a pile now over 62 meters (203 feet) high.

CNN Heroes: Sharing the Spotlight

5 key takeaways from Xi's trip to Saudi Arabia

Years of progressing ties between oil-wealthy Saudi Arabia and China, an economic giant in the east, this week culminated in a multiple-day state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Riyadh, where a number of agreements and summits heralded a "new era" of Chinese-Arab partnership.

One dead, dozen missing after explosion at apartment block on Channel island of Jersey

One person died Saturday and several are missing after an explosion and fire at an apartment building on the British self-governing island of Jersey.

European Parliament vice president expelled by party amid corruption probe

Eva Kaili, one of the European Parliament's vice presidents, has been expelled by her political party in Greece amid a corruption probe.

Peru accuses Mexico of interference in internal affairs after Castillo ouster

The Mexican ambassador in Lima has been summoned by Peru's foreign ministry on complaints Mexico is interfering in its internal affairs, after top officials weighed in on the ouster earlier this week of Peru's former President Pedro Castillo.

Iran hangs protester in first known execution related to mass demonstrations

Iran has executed a man for injuring a paramilitary officer in the first known execution linked to protests that have swept the country since September, state media reported Thursday.

Life is Good, Review: Is it?

Life is Good, Review: Is it?

A sweeping statement, to be sure. Life has its ups and down and is good to some people while not so good to others. To the central character in Life is Good, Rameshwar, played by Jackie Shroff, life has been rather bad, on the whole. So, bad, in fact, that he contemplates committing suicide at least twice. Yes, there is a long period in between when he finds love in an unlikely quarter, but like the tagline of LG (Lucky Goldstar) Electronics, ‘Life’s Good’, the title remains more of a tagline that conceals a lot of bad things happening to good people. To appreciate the film at all, you will have to first digest the fact that Jackie plays a postal clerk working in Mahabaleshwar, a hill-station in Maharashtra, and that his mother has recently died, leaving him alone and deeply depressed. Not the ideal vehicle to cast Jaggu Dada in, you might say, but give it to him: under the direction of Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, he does a fairly decent job. Sadly, the tale of an old man’s friendship with a six-year-old, delayed in release by over four years and shown at the Rajasthan International Film Festival in 2019, has many loopholes that drag it down.

Based on the hospital diary of the films story-writer, Life is Good begins with Rameshwar rowing a boat in a Mahabaleshwar lake, and then reaching for sleeping pills, unable to cope with the loss of his mother, who, going by his age and looks, would have been about 80. We are not told what happened to his father or whether he has any siblings. Just when he is about to swallow the pills, there is a crash. Somebody has hit a ball through one of his glass windows, and the ball has fallen inside. He goes to the window to see that it is a little girl. He returns the ball. A woman comes around to apologise, saying she is his neighbor, and that the child, Mishti, is very naughty. Rameshwar sees this as a sign to desist from committing suicide, while the girl finds a ‘dost’ friend. Soon, the highly unlikely relationship blossoms, and Rameshwar becomes a part of the girl’s family. At her behest, he even travels on the ladder fixed to her school bus. Mishti is a girl and a friend, but not a girl-friend, declares Rameshwar.

The lady looking after her is an aunt. Mishti’s mother died in a car accident. Her father, who abandoned her when she was three, and married again, now wants her custody, because his wife cannot conceive, while the aunt wants to save her from such an irresponsible parent. At work, Rameshwar, who had become slack and disoriented after the loss of his mother, becomes time-conscious and efficient, thanks to the new-found friendship. As Mishti grows, Rameshwar showers her with gifts. One day, her father arrives, to take her away. Not willing to go with him at any cost, Mishti climbs a cup-board and jumps, breaking her leg. Advised long-term bed-rest, she evades being taken away. But her father comes back when she has just about recovered, and threatens legal action. This time, he has to contend with Rameshwar, who shoots off the legal sections under which his taking away Mishti forcibly, would be major crime, punishable with long term imprisonment. The father relents. But someone else is going to take Mishti away soon.

Mishti means sweet in Bengali, and the makers have retained the name, though the girl is not portrayed as being Bengali. Whereas the script has a couple of real twists in the tale, Sujit Sen’s original story, with Varsha Jain and Ravi Mahadevan as co-writers, and Ananth Narayan Mahadevan’s direction, are found lacking in some departments. Rameshwar’s age remains undefined. Having an actor whose real current age is 65 does not help. You have to show him aging by around twenty years by the time the film ends. Assuming his screen age as 57 when the film beings, he should have been shown as retiring three years later, instead of taking constant digs at a character who plays the tea-boy, asking him to take voluntary retirement, and is at least 20 years younger than him in real life. And towards the end of the film, he should have been 80, which is not the case. There is no indication of who were the other children playing with Mishti when she smacked the ball. Surely she was not alone. How does Rameshwar, a mere postal clerk, live in such a swanky home, but either walks or takes public transport to go to work. By making Rameshwar eschew his suicide plans twice, both times as a result of an unexpected noise, the makers have tried to simplify seep depression as needing a mere trigger to get cured.

There are four characters with worthwhile roles. Darshan Jariwala is wasted, Rajit Kapur as the Postmaster seems lost in a confused characterisation, while Mohan Kapur, as the father, reads his part well. The woman playing the aunt also has a vague persona. Where did she suddenly come from? What is her source of income? Why did she choose Mahabaleshwar? Ananth Narayan Mahadevan is capable of and has delivered much superior products, like the Marathi films Mee Sindhutai Sapkal and Mai Ghaat. Life is Good is not as good, unfortunately.

Coming to performances, Jackie Shroff might surprise his critics with what he has achieved. In a couple of scenes, he really takes you by surprise. But the trade-mark gait does not go with his personality. It would be unrealistic to expect more out of him. Saniya Anklesaria, as six year-old Mishti is a delight to watch. Precocious to the core, all children aged six or so find natural love pouring from the audience. Carefully cast, Ananya as Mishti at 13 readily blends into Saniya’s rendition of the six year-old. And the grown-up Misthi, a bubbly 18-20ish, played by Ankita Shrivastav, steals your heart too.

Rajit Kapur deserved better. He is made to play a man who thinks and behaves irrationally. While that is not a problem, there should be some back-story to justify such behavior. Darshan Jariwala as Peepu uncle has almost a special appearance, and weeps convincingly at the passing away of his dog. Mohan Kapur is a husband who has probably married on the rebound after losing his first wife, and has been unable to reconcile with the idea of raising a three-year-old. But when he is faced with a second tragedy, he becomes selfish and wants Mishti back. Not really a full-blown villain, his character has shades of grey, and he has used them well. As the aunt, Suneeta Sengupta impresses. Lastly, there is dependable Saanand Verma as the office tea-boy, another half-developed role.

Credits include photography by Alphonse Roy, which captures the beauty of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani only in small doses, music by Abhishek Ray (including an Asha Bhosle number), background score by late Ajit Varman, lyrics by Manvendra and Nivedita Joshi, sound design by Bhagat Singh Rathore and art by R. Varman. Kudos to the editor for keeping the length at a very healthy 100 minutes.

Life is Good is probably more about death than about life. Besides a little girl, it uses pets like a tortoise and a dog to weave emotions. It has its heart in the right place and makes the most of what is at hand. Perhaps it was executed in trying circumstances, but it remains a case of delivering good when better was possible. Is it good? That it is. Is it better than good? No.

Rating: ** ½

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAo7YNArum4

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Vadh, Review: Some people deserve to be killed

Vadh, Review: Some people deserve to be killed

Taking the law into your own hands and getting away with crimes is becoming a recurring thread in Indian cinema. On the heels of one such film, Drishyam 2, comes another murder story, where the audiences’ sympathy lies with the protagonist, who, a law-abiding citizen otherwise, is pushed beyond his limits of tolerance, and ends up killing a man and disposing off his body. Whereas some schools of thought may ascribe to the theory that crime does not pay should be the message of any crime film, there is an increasing trend among Indian film-makers that conveys the message that some people deserve to be killed, and it is okay to dispose-off their bodies, cover-up the murder and deny the crime altogether. While this may cleanse the society of one vile villain, it sends a very dangerous signal. Taking the law into your own hands is a no-no, however vicious the man who embodies evil may be, even if the law machinery is corrupt or inefficient. Vadh is another film where the protagonist slays the dragon, like Saint George did, as recorded in an 11th century text.

A lower middle class couple in their late 50s live a frugal life in Gwalior. Shambhunath Mishra is probably a retired school teacher who conducts classes at home, while Manju, his wife, is a devoted house-wife, perennially plagued by ill-health and given to frequent visits to the temple. Their only son, Diwakar, probably in his early to mid-20s, expresses a desire to go the USA for further studies, for which he needs Rupees ten lakh (1 million). With almost no savings, Mishra borrows money from the banks as well from a loan shark, with the understanding that his son will send money for the repayment. The son goes to the USA, marries an Indian woman there, has a baby and all but forgets that he has parents. On the rare occasion when Shambhunath reminds him, on Skype, that money needs to be repaid, he offers to send Rs. 10,000, but not without a volley of harsh words. Shambhunath closes his Skype account and deletes the son’s name from his phone.

Running all his errands, Shambhunath does not buy anything on credit. But the bank and the loan shark, a man called Pandey, keep making their demands. One day, Pandey brings a girl over to Mishra’s house, has a few drinks and locks himself and the girl in the Mishras’ only spare room. This has a very strong impact on Mishra’s psyche. He reports the matter to the police, but finds them on the take from Pandey. Pandey is the scum of the earth, and one day, he comes to the Mishra home and threatens to evict him, unless he calls one of Mishra’s tuition students, 12 year-old Naina, pet-name Billi, to his house and allows him to have sex with her. This proves too much for the docile but ultra-sensitive Mishra, who decides to kill Pandey. That will save Naina as well as relieve him of his debt. While Pandey is waiting to enjoy his drink, Mishra grabs hold of a screwdriver, and…

In the directors' chairs are Jaspal Singh Sandhu and Rajeev Barnwal, both first timers. Sandhu has been a producer (Angrej) while Barnwal a writer (Besharam). The two have collaborated on the script too. To their credit, the film does not bear any marks of dual stewardship. There are a few issues. It may have slipped by that Mishra was a teacher (most likely) and is now retired, conducting tuition classes at home. But what are their finances and how do they manage them is never showcased. It is not clarified what loan did Mishra take from the bank, and how much did he take from the loan shark, though it is said time and again that he took Rs. 10 lakh from the shark, when he needed Rs. 10 lakh. It is also mentioned that the requirement was for Rs. 25 lakh. So where did the bank money go? And what action did the bank take to recover its loan. In the second half, one is able to predict what Mishra will do to Pandey, for a protagonist can take only so much and no more. Mishra is able to erase all signs of his crime with uncomfortable ease and incredible good fortune. It requires great cunning to do what he does, and till he does it, we are given no signs that he is capable of such deeds.

The track involving the magazine Manohar Kahaniyan (a real-life publication that carries murder mysteries in some detail, and is acknowledged in the beginning credit titles) seems contrived, though it is possible that persons like Mishra and the Police Sub-Inspector do read it. Nor enough to justify the scenes that bring the magazine to the fore. A similar ply was used in Drishyam 2. Vadh scores high on the characterisation. Each character is well delineated, right from the scooter rider to the flour-mill owner to the Sub-Inspector. And locations are carefully chosen, so as to blend with the people who populate them., and is helped by some high level performances. Influences of other films cannot be discounted, yet Vadh takes its own path, as if belonging to a genre. Is this format rapidly becoming a genre? The jury should be out there.

For Sanjay Mishra (the surname is uncanny), this could be one the best roles he has essayed. Wasted in inconsequential roles, here his expressions and eye movements are so well blended with the character of Shambhunath Mishra! As Manju, his wife, Neena Gupta is a natural, having been there done that. After some time, there arrives a villain who is menacing, with a veneer of being ultra-cool, and knowing his job. Vadh owes a lot to the actions of Saurabh Sachdeva, the Pandey in the cast. Manav Vij is well-cast as the corrupt Police Inspector. His physique is obviously that of a man who is strong and yet has enjoyed the good life, as the Inspector would have. Diwakar Kumar, as the son, Diwakar (name?!), gets show how ungrateful and uncaring he can bee, and he does so with élan. Also in the cast are Tanya Lal, Umesh Kaushik, Abhitosh Singh Rajput and Pranjal Pateriya.

Music is by Gurcharan Singh, cinematography by Sapan Narula, film editing by Bharat S. Raawat, production design by Nadiri Khan and Tariq Umar Khan, costume design by Darshan Jalan and Manish Tiwari, makeup by Yashika Arora and Pratik Gupta. A 1 hour 50 minutes, the never sags or drags, and some makers who opt for much longer lengths could take a leaf out of this film.

Once you accept the premise of the film, and you have no choice in the matter if you are a critic, then you must then weigh it on its merits. Actually, a critic can dismiss the film on the theme itself, and then there would be no review. Do such films influence society? A couple of days ago, a 73-year-old woman, owning a large flat in Mumbai, was killed by her son, apparently to get hold of the property, and her body was scattered over a mountainous terrain. God forbid somebody is inspired to go the way the protagonist did, both in Drishyam (1and 2) and Vadh. But only the State can take somebody’s life, and that to, in the most extenuating of circumstances. I am not dismissing the film because there is substantial material to review, besides the premise. So, judging on various other cinematic parameters, the film is worth watching, but strictly adult fare.

Rating: ***

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5EkZtIXb1Q

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