#IAmOffended #HindiEnglishDocumentaryFilmReview #JohnsonThomas #Rating: * * 1/2

#IAmOffended #HindiEnglishDocumentaryFilmReview #JohnsonThomas #Rating: * * 1/2

#Picks&Piques/SnippetFilmReview6thFeb2015/#JohnsonThomas

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#Picks&Piques/SnippetFilmReview6thFeb2015/#JohnsonThomas

 

#Shamitabh(Hindi)Rating:  * * * Unusual but not satisfying. #RBalki does yet another ga-ga-set on #AmitabhBachchan, this time giving him a series of repetitive monologues as a tribute to his so-called phenomenal acting prowess. The Advertising guru that Balki is, this film will probably do more for the Bachchan brand than for Bollywood cinema. The film’s concept story with the now expected ‘twist’ is more of a promotional video for Bachchan’s talents than a cinema worth ruminating over. This is basically a showboat for the three main leads that also includes #Dhanush and #AksharaHaasan. Too indulgent and self-congratulatory to be deemed worthy.  #RaindropMedia #ParagDesai #UniversalCommunications #Dhanush #AksharaHaasan #RBalki #AmitabhBachchan #AbhishekBachchan #ErosInternational #MADEntertainment #BalajiMotionPictures #HOPEProductions

 

#JaiJawanJaiKisan(Hindi)Rating:  * ½ poor conceptualization and singular lack of vision deals a death blow to a story that could have become an inspiration for the new generation.  An inglorious  biopic on former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shashtri's glorious life. This film plays out in amateurish, kindergarten playschool fashion with actors parroting lines without any of the essence of it coming through. The lack of inspiration in the telling is quite galling.  #MilanAjmera #AshwaniShukla #AltairMedia #KishanPaliwal #VictoriousEnterprises #SanjayChakraborty #JatinKhurana #OmPuri #PremChopra #RatiAgnihotri #RishiBhutani #AkhileshJain #MadanLalKhurana #PankajDua #SeemaChakrborthy

#HumTumDushmanDushman(Hindi) Rating: * Too dysfunctional to be appreciated. Poor craft and zero tension makes this quite a tedious and unremitting experience.  #DollarGroupInternational #IqbalDurrani #MashaalDurrani #TapasPaul #SohiniPaul #MukeshRishi #EhsanKhan #ShahbaazKhan #poojaSaxena #MushtaqKhan #MohanAyyer  

#IAmOffended (English/Hindi) Rating:  * * ½  Topical, timely but not effective. An interesting though lethargic documentary about the growing intolerance against stand-up comic acts in the India. Too casual to be serious. Defiant but not powerful. The funnymen give voice to their angst but fail to turn it into a power stroke. There’s not much humor, wit or energy on display here and that’s a sore point for a documentary that seeks to represent Indian stand-up comediennes’ first major salvo against repression! #JohnnyLever #VirDas #RajuSrivastav #VarunGrover #SanjayRajoura #AditiMittal #SorabhPant #TanmayBhat #GursimranKhamba #AshishShakya #RohanJoshi #RajeevNigam #RajneeshKapoor #PuLaDeshpande #hardlyAnonymous #SaturdayFilms #Love&Faith #VijayalakshmiRajan #MilindDhaimade #JaideepVarma

 

#WildCard(English)Rating: * *  #SimonWest’s meandering remake of the 1987 #BurtReynold action thriller sparks inter-mittent interest at best. Too much of contemplation with mini bursts of action.  #JasonStatham #WilliamGoldman #B4U #VenessaRoy #RelativityMedia #PSLive #SimonWest

 

#TheBoyNextDoor((English) Rating: * *  Gender reversed ‘FatalAttraction’ lacks eroticism and thrills. Poor acting and even poor direction make it quite a damp squib. A burnished #JLo and hunky #RyanGuzman manage to turn on the heat!  #RyanGuzman #JenniferLopez #RobCohen #MoesArt #SarjitaJain #JohnCorbett #SaurabhRathore #UniversalPictures

 

#JupiterAscending(English) Rating: * * ½  #Wachowski charm can do little to make this female antagonist lead sci-fi adventure to hit the right notes. It’s big but not exactly beautiful or exciting. Promises much more than it can deliver.Visually extravagant but conceptually wanting. Spectacular action can’t cover-up the dubiousness of character motivations.   #ChanningTatum #WarnerBros #MilaKunis #WachowskiBros #AnkitAgarwal

 

#MrTurner(English) Rating: * * * ½   Mike Leigh's biography of the landscape painter #JMWTurner is grimly contemplative in expanse yet captivating.  Wonderful performances outstanding cinematography  are high-points of this experience #MikeLeigh #JMWTurner #TimothySpall #RogerAshtonGriffiths #JamieThomasKing #LesleyManville #LeeIngleby #PVR #PriyankaVaswani    #AvianMedia  

 

#Baji (Marathi) Rating: * * * This desi Zorro has a long-winding storyline but manages to spark interest and engagement with credible performances, bone crushing action  and deliberate, gritty story-telling craft. #DarMotionPictures  #ShreyasTalpade #AmrutaKhanvilkar #JitendraJoshi #AffluenceMovies #IndianMagicEyePvtLtd. ‪#‎DeeptiTalpade ‪#‎AmitAhirrao ‪#‎VivekRangachari‪#‎NikhilMahajan ‪#‎SuhrudGodbole ‪#‎SuhrudGodbole#VirtueEntertainment #LatikaChindarkar #BlueDrop #IMEMotionPictures 

Indian Documentary Review

Johnson Thomas

Timely, Topical but not Effective!

Film: I am Offended

Cast: Vir Das, Varun Grover, Sanjay Rajoura, Sorabh Pant, Rajneesh Kapoor, Tanmay Bhatt, Ashish Shakya, Rohan Joshi, Rajeev Nigam, Gursimran Khamba

Director: Jaideep Varma

Rating: * * ½

Coming at a time when Stand-up comedy is receiving a great deal of criticism from the establishment, following the AIB Roast series and the hue and cry following it’s live performance and youtube video grab, this documentary about Indian stand-up comic acts , their mind-sets, routines, experiences and the conflicts faced by them due to growing audience intolerance, hopes to fire a salvo in favor of freedom of speech.  

Stand-up comedy in India is a relatively new aspirational field of entertainment dominated by  the likes of today’s stand-up stars Vir Das, Sanjay Rajoura,Varun Grover, Rajneesh Kapoor, Tanmay Bhatt and many others. It’s a fairly growing field with new stars born every other month. The growing interest in TV shows, comedic hosting, comedy central performances stand testament to the increasing popularity of this form of vicarious entertainment which feeds off satirical take-offs of celebrities, popular icons and uncommon experiences.     

Jaideep Verma’s film tires to engage in a discussion on intolerance regarding comic acts with different stakeholders in the pantheons of stand-up comedy including humorists from different media: Johnny Lever, Raju Shrivastav (film/stage), Jug Suraiya (print), Pu La Deshpande (literature), members of AIB to East India Comedy, Varun Grover, Vir Das, Anuvab Pal, Rajneesh Kapoor, Rajeev Nigam, Sanjay Rajoura, Johnny Lever, Jay Hind creator Abhigyan Jha, columnist G Sampath, and others. A range of opinions on the subject of comedy are offered and opinions on offense varies as per personal experiences. The conflicts and rigid mindsets of the audience are exposed as also the irreverence and intentional disrespect of the performers as an integral form of their craft. India being a multi-religious and multi-cultural society, Intolerance is a given. 

So there’s not much surprise when organizers turn censors and public raise a hue and cry on language and irreverence. The taking down of the recently controversial AIB Roast, underlines this fact even more. The inability of the larger group to come together and raise a voice against the curbs on their freedom of expression, shows this community of performers to be fledglings who are yet to find their wings. This documentary is an expression of the repression they endure but it’s not a strong enough voice to ensure that the brakes don’t endure!

johnsont307@gmail.com