A brilliantly plotted emotional roller-coaster

Book Review: Once Upon a Reunion

Author: Nithya Sashi

Rating: 4.5/5

Amazon link: https://amzn.to/2rNK5wK








It is difficult to restrict Nithya Sashi’s brilliant novel ‘Once Upon a Reunion’ to one genre. This is a fast-paced story that starts with a hint of romance and nostalgia and develops into an intense story of love and longing. And then, suddenly, a brisk dramatic twist wrapped in a persuasively written sub-plot turns the book into a sinister murder-mystery. The author’s intelligent play of language and plot is what I loved the most about this story.

When Nirmala, an IT professional, readies herself for a reunion with her high-school friends, she is excited as well as worried. The enthusiasm of catching-up with old friends and the inexplicable anxiety of meeting an ex-beau (she secretly pines for) take her on an emotional roller-coaster, which the author portrays beautifully. While friends Aarti and Indraneel insist that she join the gathering, Nirmala is excited and undecided. 

Nirmala’s character is built around the woes of a married woman burdened with the mundane pressures that dictate her guilt-filled life. The author handles the fluctuating degrees of complication in the life of her characters with the deftness of a seasoned writer.
Nirmala joins the reunion party but is horrified when Suresh, her ex-lover is found dead. I was pleasantly surprised and totally taken aback with the mystery element in the novel. The author plaits in the suspense neatly, making the narrative gripping.  The only bit that I wanted a wee bit more of in the book was the crime story. However, it ended a tad abruptly. Perhaps that’s how the author intended it to be. However, this sub-plot has the potential to be built into a full-fledged novel in itself. 

The characterisation is another key highlight of the book. Nirmala’s relationship with her husband Sreenivas, who is once loving and then erratic, is depicted well. The friendship, bitterness, follies, and dilemmas make the characters very realistic and grey. Nirmala’s feelings for Suresh seem overwhelming at times but establish the extreme emotions she feels for the men in her life. Through choicest use of metaphors, the author shows how Nirmala is mentally trapped between her past and present and headed towards an uncertain future.
I would love to read a full-blown crime-thriller novel from the author, primarily because of her sheer brilliance in building such an intricate plot. I was hooked to the book and finished it in one sitting. 

Highly recommended for all romance and thriller lovers.

PK Disappoints

Film Review: PK
Cast: Aamir Khan, Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh Rajput, Boman Irani
Directed By: Rajkumar Hirani
Music: Shantanu Moitra and others

Most people who appreciate meaningful cinema were looking forward to PK. But PK falls flat. Aamir Khan disappoints. Raju Hirani disappoints.

The movie started on an innovative note and I liked the concept that Aamir Khan was playing the role of an alien. But then… what happened to the script after that?

Those who have watched ‘Oh My God’ will find PK rather dull. PK makes a mockery of some religious leaders, which I must admit is quite hilarious. We enjoy a laugh or two. But that’s not all. PK goes a step further and starts a subtle attack on select religions. That is upsetting because the movie stars a sensibly sensitive creative genius like Aamir Khan.

India is a tolerant nation. We Indians tolerate ludicrous religious extremism, ghastly terrorist attacks, violence against children, and more. So, we tolerate this nonsensical movie too! Incidentally, there was no reference to terrorist attacks in the name of religion! But the last thing we needed was the glorification of the Pakistan embassy!

I wonder why the reference to ‘the letter’ was traced back to the failure of the fraud swami (I cannot remember his very forgettable name…sorry!). After all, it was just a misunderstanding between two adults in love. No? Why did we need to attach a religious tinge to it?

For someone who keeps the country together with the powerful Satyameva Jayate, what was PK? A boring, biased, and mindless saga of a confused alien?

Next time, just the names Aamir Khan or Raju Hirani on the posters may not motivate me to buy movie tickets. Kya pata, PK banaya hoga!

The stubborn eccentricities of true love!

Film Review - Lootera

Starring - Sonakshi Sinha, Ranveer Singh

Music - Amit Trivedi

Director - Vikramaditya Motwane

Producers - Anurag Kashyap, Ekta Kapoor

Based on- O'Henry's 'The Last Leaf' (partly)

Backdrop - Bengal in 1950s

A romantic to the core - I was bound to enjoy Lootera –an emotional saga of true love beyond possibilities. What I didn’t expect was the maturity with which the lead actors portrayed the depth of a simple emotion like love. 

The story is fresh, sensitive, and romantic. Perhaps I instantly liked the movie because Pakhi (Sonakshi)- the main female lead, aspires to be an author. Despite the hardships, her passion for writing keeps her going.

I don’t know if many people believe in true love these days. In the age of social networking (which is a great thing by the way!) and the ease of having multiple choices for everything—sometimes we miss the ‘real’ thing. But when the feeling is pure – even if ties get severed, the truth gets established sooner or later. When the conscience awakens, lost love comes back – even if only to apologize. 

I am a firm believer in true love. Just like adversities don’t deter true lovers, misunderstandings don’t destroy everlasting friendships. After all, there is still more ‘good’ in this world than ‘bad’ – that’s why ‘life goes on’.

Lootera delicately explores a plethora of these emotions in the backdrop of post-independent India—mid 20^th century rural Bengal to be precise. This was the time when the newly elected Indian government decided to abolish the zamindari system. The history angle has been fitted into the movie very intelligently. 



While we focus on the love-story between the Zamindar’s daughter Pakhi Roy Chowdhury (Sonakshi Sinha) and an archaeologist Varun Srivastava (Ranveer Singh) - there is a strong narrative in the background highlighting the social situation and the plight of the Zamindars in the 1950s.

The first half of the movie keeps one captivated with the magic of new-found love. Simple moments made extraordinary just by spending time with each other - no exotic locales, no out-of-the-world conversations - just two people enjoying ordinary days together and gazing at each other as if there is no tomorrow. Some of my friends found the movie boring. On the contrary, I thought it was poetic, romantic and very classy. It successfully created a 'wow' factor which has been lacking in the recent few flicks I have watched.

In the second half, Lootera becomes even better. There is a sudden twist in the story and the female protagonist’s life falls apart. Strong storytelling and diligent direction have contributed to excellence in each scene.

Possibly only in an idealistic world can one love someone so unconditionally - despite betrayals, shortcomings and a world of ruthlessness. One may fail to see logic in loving someone who has been an estranged lover and a disloyal friend. But love and hatred are emotions beyond our control. Like me, many others will relate to the emotional dilemmas that Pakhi goes through. 


Pakhi realizes that it is impossible to think of harming someone you have loved - even if they have humiliated you in the worst way possible. Perhaps that’s why true love is immortal. There is so much depth in the emotion that words are unnecessary, explanations are meaningless. 

Hat's off to Sonakshi Sinha - a powerhouse of expressions and acting. She looks beautiful and exudes an innocent appeal onscreen. Ranveer Singh is brilliant and charming in the underplayed low profile character he portrays. The music is melodious - especially 'Sawaar Loon' by Monali Thakur.


The supporting cast - Pakhi's dad Zamindar Roy Chowdhury, Varun's friend Dev – excel in acting. But Divya Dutta is wasted in the short cameo.

The metaphors used in the movie - the Raja's story - about life of the King being locked in his favorite parrot's heart- drawing a parallel to the father-daughter relationship - and the emotions they evoke is fabulous. The inspiration from O' Henry's 'The Last Leaf' works very well in this flick and makes the emotional viewer leave the theatre with moist eyes.

Lootera is a must-watch. We don't get to watch too many movies in this genre these days - don't miss it.

Being Salman :)

What is it about Salman Khan that has suddenly caught the fancy of the crowd? He was never a hero of the masses if I look back to the 90s. Girls loved him in each generation and that is a process that will not end abruptly. But this 'new' Salman avtaar that has surfaced since his blockbuster 'Wanted' (2009) is incredible. From a romantic hero, he has developed into this angry young man who is very different from the other 'angry young men' we have watched in movies over the decades. That's what makes Salman Khan and his recent movies unique. People enjoy his style, his eccentricities, his charm, and his genuineness. Besides, his good looks and well, good looks...take care of everything else.  

I have never written a film review for a Salman Khan movie. Reason: Being an ardent admirer of the person he is, I would feel bad to write a review if I didn't like the movie. But Dabangg 2 is a movie I recently watched and totally loved :). So the writing follows.

Dabangg 2 is a thorough Bollywood action drama. I would watch it again and many people I know have already gone for a 'repeat watch'. Interestingly, the movie has a good storyline and adheres to a script. Unlike its prequel, this movie has more rhythm and meat. There is never a moment of boredom. Good music, great action, dollops of humour and natural acting will keep you entertained for 2 hours and 10 minutes. Dabangg 2 is a complete entertainer and full credit to Arbaaz Khan for this directorial debut.

The charactertisations in this movie are meaningful and the script highlights a very interesting social angle too - in several scenes. There are no cliches or stereo-types even though the setting we are talking about is semi-urban. We traverse through the roads of Kanpur and meet the goons there. The cops are at their best trying to control corrupt politicians and the senior police officials are indolent and slow. So the story is not a new one. But the treatment is. There is a constant hint towards social progress throughout the movie. It is very subtle and doesnt take away from the movie's main genre- action. But the 'progress' theme is intelligently blended in the main story. 

For instance, when Makkhi's (Arbaaz) wife (Mahi Gill) informs him of her decision to take up a job - Makkhi doesnt discourage her. She explains why it is significant. The way in which this important message about the economic contribution of women in society is conveyed to the single screen masses through a simple conversation between the couple is commendable! There are also instances where Chulbul Pandey (Salman) tells his wife (Sonakshi) that she doesnt need to come running every time he calls just because he is the husband! Usually we see the opposite in commercial 'masala' Hindi cinema. To add a scene like this in a 'mass appeal' cinema is a good gesture on the part of the director to convey a 'social equality' message to the audience. Usually in 'angry young men' movies - we have instances of boys having an upper hand and the girls playing the 'damsel in distress'. But here again, Dabangg 2 conveys a subtle social message of women empowerment.

It doesnt end here. There is a scene where Chulbul Pandey talks to his father (Vinod Khanna) about life insurance planning. Applaud applaud!

Oh yes - one more thing - the charity angle. It's funny but then that's how a Chulbul Pandey movie should be :). So when Robinhood cop Salman cracks a case, all the money that is recovered either goes to the poor or is deposited in the Chulbul Pandey fund, which again works for the upliftment of the poor. Good thinking by the writer/director.

For a movie which is targeted at the masses and expected to be a nonsense action-packed 3 hours entertainer, Dabangg upsets its critics. It is not just a great action movie that can boast of excellent onscreen chemistry between the primary characters; it also successfully portays an evolved 'angry young man'. This man is angry for the right reasons. He makes good use of his muscle power. People not just respect him, they love him and want to hang out with him. That is the true success of Dabangg. It has a tremendous connect.

Please go watch Dabangg if you haven't. If the above reasons weren't enough, here are a few more: Salman Khan rocks anyway; Sonakshi Sinha looks fabulous and scores full marks on acting too. Vinod Khanna, Arbaaz Khan, Mahi Gill and of course the villain Baccha bhai - the entire star cast contribute handsomely to this very enjoyable movie. The 'fevicol' song could have been avoided though.

You will enjoy this movie even if you are not a Salman Khan fan. But if you love him, you definitely have an edge ;)

Happy Birthday to you Salman!