RAID – Does Not Attack Your Sensibilities, Neither Is It Pretentious | Worth Trying!

I have to confess that often, I tend to over-adjecti-fy the cause of criticizing something. Also, am not a big fan of singing hymns when I appreciate someone - people call me disapprovingly polarized and sometimes, I have no defense! However, when it comes to RAID, my good, bad and the ugly neurons worked in perfect tandem to watch and somewhat, admire the movie. For starters, it does not try to be a Karan Johar type of movie that shoots across global locations and dresses-up megastars with costumes, role-plays and borrowed styles that just don’t seem to sync. RAID is slightly under-cooked. This actually helps to make the movie watchable. The story isn’t something worthy of being a conversation-starter. You might find it surprising but there are no raids as such in the movie – yes, RAID is a singular in every sense. The entire plot is knitted around a few days of income tax department’s invasion. The perpetrator is Saurabh Shukla – as vile and well-groomed for this role as you can imagine. His dialogues are interspersed with just the right amount of facial expressions that oscillate from disgust to bouts of violent anger and reluctance to accept the reality.

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Is Junooniyat watchable?...ummmmm...HELL NO!

What translates into Obsession is actually referred to as a "2016 romantic Indian Bollywood film" in Wikipedia but spend 20 minutes with the content and you will agree that there is very little the director seems to obsessed with apart from trying to stretch a story. Actually, the story is not bad but the eventual dish that is served is sprinkled with mediocre songs and poorly imagined background music and a plot let loose in such a way that you question whether this was worthy of spending your money - I did not spend any as I saw the 2016 movie on a TV channel. Pulkit Samrat isn't that bad but when the story is as fragmented as India's socio-economic policies, with nobody bothering to hold it together, you cannot blame the guy for seeming so weirdly positioned. Pulkit does not look like the leading man in the movie and still occupies considerable screen time. His pairing with Yami Gautam was spoken about by my friends and I had heard the same on FM Delhi stations but she fails miserably as a lady who would self-annihilate if she does not get her man. The music score is without an impact. The lyrics seem OK but when the vocals of singers who have not paid their dues gym-style, you cannot connect with it - that also sums-up the impact the movie made on me - just could not join the dots, leave alone walking the dotted line!

Reviewing Junooniyat for No Apparent Reason - Just Proves My Dumbass Credentials

This movie needed a cast that could portray the obsession that is love like a disease that takes over your mind. This intensity is missing, in fact, it seems to have been totally ignored. Supporting cast does not try to add humor which is good in a way but then, we could have used some breaks from Pulkit looking like Yash Raj Film hero even as he serves and protects the nation. Yami tries too hard in places to cry and force you to believe that she is a damsel who can slit her wrists if love enchanted is taken away. Does she fit the bill? Not really. Yami looks beautiful but does not convince you. Pulkit seems too restrained, as if afraid of acting too much which in turn, might expose anything he is trying to hide. His performance is passive in a way while Yami seems intent of being the enforcer. The story idles a bit too much after the first 30 minutes. There is some lost momentum regained as the marriage party-crashing cast meets the American Desi types. The closing minutes again don't rekindle that the hero and his lady yearn for each other - they seem to have given a good performance but then this alone has never really helped a movie make money, has it?

Weekend watch worthy: NO

CD watch worthy: NO

Laptop watch worthy: NO

First half watch worthy: YES

Disappointed? YES

Impressed? NO 

Can be recommended: NO

Can be forgotten: YES...please! 

When Deepika Padukone Betrayed Us & Then Won Us Back!

[This is from one of my earlier blogging attempts, somewhere in 2015]: 

Last night, saw the new Kellogg’s [now old since am a very poor TV viewer] advertisement again, where Deepika Padukone can be seen peddling the notion that being reed-thin, being skeletal, on the verge of becoming malnourished can make you feel special since you have a teeny-weenie waistline! I was not shocked to see this advertisement since the standards for choosing brands or endorsing promotional ideas have already dipped too low to be redeemed. Can you remember King Khan said that his skin-fairness cream played a hand in his success? However, I did not expect this from Deepika.

Still have reasons to like Deepika Padukone, but wish she had Thought Better!

Always thought of her as someone far too sensible to just abandon her senses for a bit of easy money. But then, morals, values, and consideration are not part of the celebrity business, are they? As for ladies who have taken this advertisement seriously, please understand that a thin, bony waistline doesn’t really turn on anyone. Eat healthily and smile more to “feel special”. Her penchant for staying wafer-thin is very visible. Just view the party song 'Delhi Wali Girlfriend' - her waist is literally a wafer which looks very crackable and edible BTW!

[This is from today, i.e., February 16th, 2018]: How Deepika won us back? Deepika does not have the usual body image issues despite her confessing to almost fanatical levels of anxiety and that she took medicines for the same. Recently, perhaps after the medicinal dosage, she has started to smile and laugh in a lot more convincing, organic manner. Just look at her advertisement with Siddharth Malhotra for OPPO phones - that smile towards the end of the clip is precious. In a big way, Deepika redeemed herself by opening up about psychological issues, and that we tend to ignore them or feel very hesitant in talking about them, and this could not be truer for our Bollywood stars, whose life, I feel, is fueled by physical and emotional struggles, no matter how rich or well placed they are in the industry.