Change Your Image
Waaka1
Reviews
The White Tiger (2021)
A Masterpiece!
The White Tiger is a movie about the haves and the have nots in India, narrated from the perspective of a person who has been on both the sides. It follows the story of Balram and his upward mobility across the society, from being a slave to his master to being an entrepreneur himself. It also maes the viewers think about who holds the power in democracy, and how the brown men would stop at nothing to get power.
The undertone of the movie is filled with cynicism and it gives a gloomy description of India, that being said it is a good representation of the narrow lines that divide us all. I somewhat agree to the other reviews that it stereotypes India into a box and is more palatable for the taste of Western audiences, but the description or the plot of the movie is not untrue. The lower class, the servants or all have-nots are in some way or the other subjected to the same treatment as Balram. They have to struggle to make their ends meet, the politicians are corrupt and it is difficult to get out of the rooster coup. This is not the entire reality but is some part of it, and the makers have to be commended for the beautiful portrayal of this problem.
The writing is quite fresh, in both hindi and English, it manages to retain the essence of Adiga's original story.
The views of Delhi are authentic, and Adarsh Gaurav's acting is extremely good, he is the thread holding the movie together where the writing lacks, he shines over the two senior actors: Priyanka Chopra and Rajkumar Rao. They are truly mere supporting characters. Balram's actions can't be justified from an ethical point of view, but Adarsh's acting and the narrations give the viewers a glimpse of his psyche and how he ended up being a murderer.
The things that I didn't like about the movie are :
1. Book was better than the movie, however it comes close.
2. Over simplification of Caste and the Director's inability to portray the nuances of the caste system in India.
3. The storytelling lacks in the second half and it feels unnecessarily streched, it could have been a few minutes shorter.
I would recommend this movie to everybody, and to not judge the characters from a moral perspective while we sit in our comfortable lounge and streaming this movie on Netflix. One should try to empathise with the characters to understand their perspective.
Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2023)
A must watch movie
Kho gaye hum kahan' is a classic story about friendship, love and life in the digital age but it is so much more than what meets the eye. It dwells deep into the pitfalls of the internet and how we've all become addicts to our phones without realising it. The story revolves around three characters: Imaad played by Siddhant, Ahana played by Ananya and Neil played by Adarsh, who are flawed and deeply insecure in their own ways but are trying to make it in the real world as individuals. Art is supposed to be a mirror to reality, and this movie encapsulates the crisis of the twenty first century in an impeccable manner. I personally could empathise with all the characters in the mistakes they make and the decisions they take, as these are the common mistake that a 20 year something does. A special mention should be given to Kalki for her phenomenal portrayal of Simran, she does justice to the screen time given to her.
The storytelling is so good that I was invested in the lives of these three characters after the first 5 minutes, and it explores the nuances of a life riddled in the circus of social media. It raises very important discussions about addiction, stalking, cybel bullying and other mental health related subjects. It also is bitter flashback who our phones nore than our lives to be more aware and present in the moment. The movie will make you more mindful.
The cinematography is beautiful and the direction of Arjun Singh adds depth to the story.
Fresh Off the Boat (2015)
Not worth the time.
After sitting through the entire 6 seasons of it, hoping for it to get better the show is a hot mess. The children in the show grow up, but their mother, Jessica Huang played by Constance Wu refuses to grow as a character. She's the same selfish mean Chinese lady in the end that she was from the beginning. She only shows interest in what concerns her and behaves like a child, Evan who is her youngest child acts in a more sophisticated manner than her. The writers didn't make any effort for the show to be funny or even remotely interesting. The storyline progresses with no major changes. The Jessica and louis pairing is also odd, making me think about how they never got divorced, she is overbearing and does not care about her husband, and he is a weak submissive man giving into her every whim. The other characters like Honey, Marvin, Evan, Eddie, Emery also fail to shine and the character of Jessica makes me cringe. The only interesting part about the show is that it finally ended putting people out of their misery. This was a first show solely based on representing Asian-American culture but we only get glimpses of the tradition, this show unlinke Eddie's American version of Chinese burger is not a hit and leaves a sour taste in the mouth.
I can write a full rant on how Jessica interferes in the personal life of her kids like changing the grade on his son's paper so that he breaks up with girlfriend, she ruins Christmas and Halloween almost every season, she only does what is best suited for her not thinking about the consequences of her actions. Like all of us she is a flawed character, but unlike real people she just comes across as a bad mother who is in dire need of counselling, which she would obviously refuse if it wasn't free. From the first episode to the last there is not much growth in her characters, she is very pushy and not in an endearing way.
This is an abysmal show, with lazy story writing and meek characters. I would not recommend anybody wasting their time watching this.
Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar (2023)
A misogynistic masterpiece.
'Tu jhoothhi main makkar' is Luv Ranjan's new film and it fails on expectations in every aspect. The cinematography is poor, the premise lacks structure, the acting is mediocre at best, the writing is poor and as a comedy it fails to deliver.
It promises to portray modern relationships in this new world yet it ignores the female perspective, as it is centered around Mickey's narrative. He comes across as a spoilt brat who's thriving on his ancestral wealth. Tinni is presented as a new age woman with ambitions but in the end in the name of love, she surrenders to the patriarchal values. If only they were able to communicate better, I could've save two hours of my life, but instead they try to depict modern relationships as being devoid of real feelings and in lacking communication. This toxic relationship has been glorified which is problematic in this day and age.
The acting is mediocre. Mickey's character reminds the audience of Kabir and Shraddha has continued to act the same since her first movie. Bassi also fails to deliver, some of his jokes land and others lay flat. The arc of Manu's characters feels incomplete and unjustified. There's no freshness to the characters.
To top all this, the end justifies living in a joint family system, which I don't mind but the movie reinforces the old values of how the girl is the only one making compromises. Mickey's character threw a tantrum and his entire family came to his rescue. The ending is not realistic and an arrangement like this will never come true. It fails to show the family dynamics and the nuances of a joont family system. Tinny also comes across as a submissive woman who's okay with being in a toxic relationship filled with lies and deceit.
Thus Luv Ranjan's misogynistic masterpiece is a must watch for people looking to waste their time.
IRL: In Real Love (2023)
A MASSIVE WASTE OF TIME.
I clicked on the show to see a poor attempt at a remake of some of the western show like Too hot to handle, but it's a pity that it couldn't even achieve that. It's just a cringe fest. Every second on this show feels like a waste of your time. Please don't bother clicking on it, it's not even binge worthy.
The contestants are some failing actors who try to make this show intresting, bit alas the concept of the show is so pathetic that neither the actors nor the hosts could save it. I don't understand how producers put their noney on garbage shows like this one. This is a very inaccurate representation of dating scenario in India.