8 days 8 movies: To be back on track
Waking up to hearing the news that let our spirits down, and continuously running for being productive made me think I should go back to get refreshed. The only place I know to get my spirit back on track is, of course, Cinema!
I stopped reading books, learning something. I decided to watch movies for a few days until I feel better. Browsed for movies online and started my daily ritual of watching one movie a day and discussing it with my family and friends.
1. Anveshana
Happened to begin this marathon with old Telugu thriller “Anveshana” released in 1985. It is one of the best musical thrillers ever made in Telugu cinema. My father suggested me to play this movie as he was at home (it was Sunday).
The songs, running camera effects, parallel narrations of multiple plotlines, and converging all at the end made it an engaging watch. Creative director Vamsy executed the movie efficiently that even after 35 years of its release, I felt it refreshing!
Ilayaraja and Vamsy combination was well celebrated back in those days (circa the 80s and 90s) and their rapport can be witnessed from this one movie alone.
2. Vicky Donor
A fresh rom-com that highlights one of the major problems faced by the current generation — infertility. This movie is made so well that it is the most sought film when writers try to address societal problems humorously.
The movie is funny but mature enough that I watched this movie with my family, without a small room of hesitation. Shoojit Sircar is so sensible in handling such subjects that I wonder if it was not in his hands, it would be treated as a vulgar movie.
3. Aligarh
After multiple recommendations from my friends made me watch this highly acclaimed movie. Based on the real-life story of Prof Ramchandra Siras who was suspended for being gay by Aligarh Muslim University, this movie marks another collaboration of Raj Kumar Rao and Hansal Mehta.
The movie depicts the reason and aftermath of Prof Siras’ suspension from the University and his legal fight to protect his privacy and respect.
A heartwarming story with strong performances from Manoj Bajpai and Raj Kumar Rao, this movie made me think how dumb we were, as a society to kill a person just because of his sexual preference. I wonder how many such stories are under the blanket.
4. Wazir
I was browsing the content on Prime Video and happened to find this movie. A well-made thriller with riveting performances from all the main cast made the movie a good watch. It showcases the dark side of human beings (through the character of a politician) and the greed for power.
One of the important movies for Aditi Rao Hydari where she grabbed the attention of many directors to successfully consider her for many upcoming movies.
5. Black Friday
Anurag Kashyap’s investigative thriller is based on a book by Hussain Zaidi. The movie is on 1993 Mumbai blasts and the way police investigated to catch the terrorists and the motive behind the attack.
The movie is honest to the story and brilliantly made. Anurag is one of the directors who makes movies professionally — I mean, he doesn’t mix his personal views to rub the audience through his movies.
Kay Kay Menon’s performance caught my attention throughout the movie and the framing with basic colors during the major scenes can be appreciated. They even shot a chase sequence that is around 10 minutes at a location among the huge crowd — Dharavi!
6. Mother
This Bong Joon-Ho’s movie was the one that I left while watching all his movies. It is a thriller surrounding the murder of a young girl. The story unfolds as the mother of the prime accused believes her son is innocent and investigates the crime personally.
It was yet again a highly appreciated film of Joon-Ho. South Korea submitted this movie for Academy Awards then.
7. Shahid
An incredible true story of a young lawyer who was highly successful in getting acquittals for the innocent and poor people — Shahid Azmi, this movie fetched a National Award for Raj Kumar Rao.
It is the first among many collaborations of Hansal Mehta and Raj Kumar Rao. The sensible writing of the film is enhanced by the applaudable performance of Shahid Azmi by Raj.
This movie questions the righteousness of police interrogations and arresting innocent people to lessen the political pressure on them. This movie is one of the best biographical films I have seen.
8. Vada Chennai
I re-watched this movie after about a year of watching it the first time and yet again, Vettri Maaran’s writing has so much to talk about.
I don’t want to give away my thoughts on this movie in this piece, I’ll write a separate article on Vada Chennai and it’s layered thoughts on society, capitalism, and human relationships.
I ended my 8-day movie marathon with Vada Chennai, hoping to watch as many movies as I can frequently. Most of these movies are deeply focused on human relations and the emotions that lead to a perplexing situation.
