Consider a painter specializing in modern art whose canvasses are the work of bold, broad brush strokes. The strokes reek of vivid colors, combinations, and contrasts that are equal parts mesmerising, shocking, and otherworldly. Yet these are not mere strokes of color, they combine to portray layer upon layer of sly and playful insinuations - interwoven windows overlooking the myriad corners of humanity. And finally, the points where the different strokes meet are themselves masterclasses in clarity: deliberate, punctuated, and effective. This briefly sums Yorgos Lanthimos' exquisite body of work, particularly, "The Favourite".
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Depending on one's sensibility, young love can fall on two sides of a coin - on one side is the notion that young love and its depiction is usually an extra saccharine dose of cheesy and manufactured artifice - the land of hallmark gift cards. On the other side is the depiction that is based on staunch belief in unadulterated emotions and the transformative powers that love brings forth. With its premise and storyline, " '96 " could have easily fallen prey to the former but it vehemently endeavors to be an exercise in the latter.
Childhood friends Ram and Jaanu go to the same high school. Over time, Ram realizes he has fallen for Jaanu, she has an inkling of this, and reciprocates the feeling in silence. But Jaanu is not one for sitting in anticipation, so she confronts Ram about his awkwardness around her. As she lays her hand on his chest amidst this conversation, Ram diligently faints away. '96 is the kind of film that believes that, had Ram met Jaanu 20 years later, he would still have the same reaction when she touches him. And he does. But the beauty of the film is in how it convinces us to chuckle heartily at this later reaction, not cringe at it. As a cheeky hint, the film begins with a song that calls out the various shades of grey in modern love. This occurs as we see Vicky jump across rooftops to get to Rumi's room, where they make love as Rumi's sister stands guard against the door, ready to warn them if any elderly from the household was to come that way. Rumi and Vicky lust and long for each other, she is forced to get married by the household, Vicky is not ready yet, in comes an NRI groom who falls for Rumi and is ready to give her time. All hell breaks loose.
If this sounds a bit tropy, maybe it is. But with "Manmarziyaan", Kanika Dhillon takes a love triangle and opens the pandora's box wide open. As another cheeky lyric goes, this is an update on the tropes. Her interest here is in understanding the different layers, the intentions, and the circumstances that define modern love in the Indian context. This aligns with Anurag Kashyap's ever-growing penchant for exploring the dark corners of the human mind and heart. Together they weave a riotous narrative of three souls determined to burn themselves in love. Taapsee Pannu is the embodiment of this whole shebang - a firebrand, outshining everything and everyone else in this outfit. Vicky Kaushal is an impressive counterpoint, whose taking beautiful strides in his career, with the nuance getting better with each role. |
Read MoreAtlantic CityAtlantic City says so much about two people in a relationship, without saying too much.
BooksmartA comedy that is fun, while being just good cinema in the first place.
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