Movie / Show Ratings | Rishta.com, The 33, Raazi, Sanju

Over the past few weeks I completed few movies and Netflix series. Doesn't quite makes sense to have a dedicated post for each of them, so I would just try to write to combine few of them together here. I am starting in the order their viewing was completed; not any ranking.

Rishta.com - This was a refreshing watch. The pairing of Shruti Seth as Isha Mirchandani and Kavi Shastri as Rohan Mehra had a touch of freshness about it. The story is about colleges buddies who partner to start a matrimony startup. Each episode is about their experience while dealing with a wide variety of clientele. Every episode had an unique story line. Even though the series is quite an old one, aired in 2010 on Sony, it is still has a touch about it which made me hooked to it. It's quite a family entertainer which you would definitely love watching. In fact the coolness and the smart of sense of humor which Rohan Mehra's character had was quite contagious. This series streams on Netflix and that's where I watched it.

My Rating for this overall show is 3.5 out 5. Quite recommended if you are looking for a relaxing watch.


The 33 - This movie is based on the rescue operation of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped inside a cave in the Atacama desert in 2010. This incident had a lot of international coverage at that time. The movie does a good job in depicting the crisis faced by the miners trapped down and how they handled that. And also team work and persistence of the people outside the mine which ultimately bore fruit. It was almost a miracle that the miners could be rescued from under a block of the mountain which was in weight and size twice that of the Empire State building. Just imagine that it took the miners 1 hour to drive down to the place where they were trapped from the entry to the mine at the surface. Miracles do happen and recently one more such took place with the rescue of the 12 members of the Thai soccer team from deep inside a water logged cave. Antonio Banderas portrays one of the lead characters in this movie. I borrowed this movie from the local library.

My Rating is 3 out of 5.

Raazi - I must say how right and wrong I was about the lead actors of this movie. First about Vicky Kaushal. When first time I saw him in Masaan, if I were a movie talent scout, I would have said that a gem has been spotted. And how much right I am proved in successive performances he has churned out in Raman Raghav, Lover Per Square Foot and recently Sanju.
Second is Alia Bhat. The first time I saw her in Student of the Year, I never could gauge what a powerful actress lay hidden behind that small frame. Thanks to Karan Johar. And since then she has advanced herself by leaps and bounds by carefully picking up her films; mixing some commercial stuff with some offbeat ones. Udta Punjab, Highway, Dear Zindagi, 2 States and now Raazi...what performances man.. unbelievable.
Raazi is based on the life of a RAW agent, portrayed by Alia Bhat, who was married in the family of a powerful Pakistani Army General and helped with crucial intelligence inputs during the 1971 war. Its a gripping watch with some wonderful acting by almost the entire cast. Alia Bhat is one actress in a long time who merits audience attention whereas movies are mostly driven by male actors; the Khans and Kapoors. It's truly an achievement for an actor when audience is attracted to the theatre because of your performance.

My Rating would be 3.5 out of 5.

Sanju - There has been a lot of protest from intellectual sections whether a movie deserved to be made on the wasted life of Sanjay Dutt when there are so many other icons. Well it is undeniable that Sanjay Dutt should have been the least inspiring topic for making a movie but for two impact reasons; it's take on the journalistic standards. It has been pointed very truly how even before a court of law takes decision, influential journalists in their prime time shows declare a convict as criminal. The use of 'question mark' as an effective weapon has been aptly highlighted. Prior to Sanju another movie called 'Talwar' pointed in the same direction; how news media shapes public opinion in favor of or against any individual or organization.
The second reason is Sanjay Dutt's life itself. At a time when blockbuster multi-starer movies are made with nil storyline, Sanjay Dutt's life as such has all the material for a hit Bollywood movie. It's a much better choice to make a movie with some story rather than one with none.

This movie is well made and Ranbir Kapoor's uncanny resemblance with Sanjay Dutt made it a treat to watch. Apart from Ranbir the other notable performance was that of Vicky Kaushal as Kamli. Even though his screen share was not as large as Ranbir's but his impact has been high nonetheless. A quite well made movie by Rajukumar Hirani.

My Rating would be 3.5 out of 5.