Film: “Indu Sarkar”; Director: Madhur Bhandarkar; Cast: Kirti Kulhari, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Anupam Kher, Sheeba Chaddha and Parvin Dabas.

Rating: **

A political drama with a detailed disclaimer about hurting the sentiments of anyone, Madhur Bhandarkar’s controversial “Indu Sarkar” is a cleverly plotted propaganda film.

Set in the backdrop of the dark phase of the 1975 Emergency, the film begins with the horrific atrocities committed by the government of that period. Soon, the narrative changes track to capture the travails of an ordinary woman called Indu Sarkar.

Indu is a simple, reticent and unconfident orphan who marries a government employee, Navin Sarkar, thus the title “Indu Sarkar”. Indu’s only ambition is to be a good dutiful wife, whereas Navin’s is to rise the ranks in his office and thereby ensure he leads a comfortable life in future.

But when the government declares the Emergency, his superior — the politician Om Nath — tells him to do something to the effect build your dreams and work hard during the Emergency… your dreams will be fulfilled. So, Navin works blindly and earnestly by following diktats.

Soon, the ideologies of Indu and her husband clash. How their lives interweave with the political scenario, forms the crux of the tale.

This piece of fiction, written by Anil Pandey and Madhur Bhandarkar, has based its research on the Shah Commission Report and is shrewdly mounted. The script gives a fair display of human selfishness and spinelessness and the film is disturbing. It reminds you of the tough moments an obtuse government can create.

The film, mounted as a realistic drama, offers the grit and effervescence of the period. The sepia tone frames and the crabby background score all add to the aura.

The qawalli, though unwarranted, breaks the momentum of the seriousness of the subject, thus making you realise that this is only fiction.

Kirti Kulhari is a natural performer and as the eponymous character Indu, she is excellent. She effortlessly renders her character of a stammering young lady who is soft at heart yet hard during tough moments.

She is aptly supported by the powerful actor Tota Roy Chowdhury as her husband Navin.

Neil Nitin Mukesh, a competent actor, plays Chief — the extra constitutional authority who is protecting the interest of his mother — with aplomb.

With a few ineffective scenes and nothing meaningful to offer, Anupam Kher as the political fighter Nanaji is wasted.

The other actors who have their moments of onscreen glory are: Sheeba Chaddha who plays Mekhla, a distraught mother who gets into social service and later the Himmat India Sangathan, and the actors who play the politician Om Nath and police officers Misha and Sodhi.

For its 139-minute duration, the film seems stretched. The narrative is reiterated in the last act, making the viewing a tedious fare.

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By Troy Ribeiro

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Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has hailed the teaser of veteran actor Anupam Khers upcoming film “Ranchi Diaries” and has wished him luck for the same.

Directed by Sattwik Mohanty, the upcoming film tells the story of a young aspiring actress and model and her godfather who do whatever it takes to make it big in life. 

The teaser of the film was released on Sunday.

“Congratulations Anupam Kher. Great teaser, all the best for ‘Ranchi Diaries’,” Salman posted on Twitter.

The film also stars Soundarya Sharma, Himansh, Satish Kaushik and Jimmy Shergill.

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IANS

Film: The Big Sick

Director: Michael Showalter; Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Anupam Kher, Zenobia Shroff, Adeel Akhtar, Bo Burham, Aidy Bryant, Shenaz Treasurywala and Kurt Braunohler;

Rating: ***

Despite a conventional and staid tale of “a brown Muslim boy dating a white non-Muslim girl” and navigating through modern living and traditional upbringing, “The Big Sick” is a heart melting romantic comedy that is refreshingly light-hearted. It is based on the real-life story of the Pakistan-born, US stand-up comedian Kumail Nanjiani.

The film begins with Nanjiani, an Uber driver and part-time comic, giving us an insight into his roots. The first act reveals how during one of his shows he meets Emily (Zoe Kazan) who heckles him from her seat among the audience and the slow burgeoning romance between them while his culturally-orthodox parents, unaware of Emily’s existence, are trying to fix a girl for him. While following the expected rom-com beats, this section stands out due to the wonderful, quirky chemistry between the lead pair.

In the second act, their relationship falls apart after Emily learns that Kumail hasn’t admitted to his parents that he is dating a white woman and that she would never be accepted by his family. Seeing no future together, they break up.

But they are soon thrown together by happenstance, when Emily is admitted into the hospital for an inexplicable, life-threatening medical condition, which forces Kumail to sign the hospital papers to induce her into medical coma.

Soon, guilt and self-realisation draw upon Kumail, while he spends some awkward moments in the hospital along with Emily’s parents, who unlike his parents know everything about their failed affair. The third act predictably balances the heft.

Written by Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon, the script is straight from the heart. Layered with romance, culture clash and the professional struggle of the protagonist, the plot simply captures the right nuances and comic relief with tremendous sincerity that makes it relatable and appealing.

Humour is strewn sporadically by sardonic wit which is delivered with a straight-faced seriousness.

What also makes you appreciate in the film is the earnest performances of the cast. Kumail with his pokerfaced charm feels completely natural playing himself. Zoe Kazan emulates the vivaciousness of Kumail’s wife Emily effortlessly.

Zenobia Shroff and Anupam Kher, in relatively small but prominent roles as Kumail’s parents are stereotypical yet charming.

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As Emily’s parents, Holly Hunter and Ray Romano are a big draw. With well-etched character graphs and live-wire performances, especially Holly’s, they deliver substantially.

In other supporting roles, Bo Burham, Aidy Bryant and Kurt Braunohler as Kumail’s best friends and co-comedians are perfunctory. In miniscule roles, Shenaz Treasurywala and Adeel Akhtar as Kumail’s sister-in-law and brother Naveed are wasted.

Overall, with moderate production values, “The Big Sick” is a pleasingly feel-good film.

By Troy Ribeiro

Veteran Indian actor Anupam Kher says it was a great honour for him to illuminate the UN building, New York in preparation of International Day of Yoga, which is on Wednesday.

Anupam on Monday took to Twitter to thank Syed Akbaruddin, India’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN.

“Great honour to illuminate the United Nations building, New York in preparation of International Day of Yoga. Thank you Akbaruddin sir,” Anupam tweeted.

The 61-year-old actor later shared a string of photographs in front of the building along with Akbaruddin.

“Here are more pictures of ‘Illumination of United Nations Headquarters’ in New York. It was great to meet honourable Syed Akbaruddin and other members,” he captioned the images.

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On the work front, Anupam will be seen in the upcoming film “Toilet: Ek Prem Katha”. The film stars National Award winning actor Akshay Kumar and “Dum Laga Ke Haisha” famed actress Bhumi Pednekar. He is in New York also for the premiere of his American film “The Big Sick”.

IANS

Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh is done with the shooting for National Award winning filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar’s movie “Indu Sarkar”. 

Neil shared the picture on Twitter and wrote, “In my most daring character portrayed on screen ever.” The actor also revealed that the film’s trailer would be out on June 16.

“Indu Sarkar” has been locked for release on July 28. Also featuring Kirti Kulhari, Tota Roy Chowdhury and Anupam Kher in pivotal roles, the film is set in the 1970s when the Emergency was announced in India.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor has lauded actor Neil Nitin Mukesh’s look from upcoming film “Indu Sarkar”. He calls it “deadly”.

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Click To Watch:

It’s time to be a part of Keshav and Jaya’s anokhi love story! Presenting the trailer of Toilet- Ek Prem Katha.

Toilet – Ek Prem Katha traces the love story between a simple man Keshav (Akshay Kumar) and progressive Jaya (Bhumi Pednekar), set in two villages near Mathura. 

The film is a satirical take on a battle against the age old tradition of open defecation in the country. From the panchayat to the sanitation department, from the role of the government to the superstitions of the villagers, from scams to the ethos, from first love to a matured romance.

Directed by Shree Narayan Singh, it will reportedly have Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan campaign as its base subject, and a satirical flavour within a love story.

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The star cast includes Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar, Divyendu Sharma, Sudhir Pandey, Shubha Khote and Anupam Kher.

Catch the movie in theatres on 11th August, 2017.

Anupam Kher looks every bit of Manmohan Singh in the first look of a film adaptation of Sanjay Baru’s controversial book “The Accidental Prime Minister: The Making and Unmaking of Manmohan Singh”, in which the veteran actor essays the former Indian Prime Minister.

Anupam released the first-look poster of the film on Wednesday.

“To reinvent yourself as an actor is to challenge yourself. Looking forward to portraying Manmohan Singh in ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’,” Anupam tweeted.

The black and white poster shows the side profile of Anupam, dressed as Manmohan Singh — complete with a white beard and turban. The focus of the poster is, however, more on the silhouette of a woman — presumably Congress President Sonia Gandhi — standing in the corridors of Parliament House.

The deliberate placement of the silhouette near Aupam’s ear portrays the numerous layers that were perhaps behind the persona and the role of Singh, who was criticised for rarely being verbal and taking actions on his own.

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Directed by debutant Vijay Ratnakar Gutte, the memoir by Baru is expected to hit the screens in December 2018, just ahead of the next general election in 2019.

Screenplay for the movie has been written by National Award winning director Hansal Mehta.

Besides Anupam, rest of the cast is yet to be decided.

IANS

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The first song “Rozana” of the upcoming Bollywood movie “Naam Shabana”. Naam Shabana is an upcoming 2017 Indian action spy thriller film directed by Shivam Nair and produced by Neeraj Pandey and Shital Bhatia, Starring – Taapsee Pannu, Akshay Kumar, Prithviraj, Sukumaran, Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa, Elli Avram.

The movie releasing: 31 March 2017

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Taapsee Pannu’s upcoming film ‘Naam Shabana’ is an action thriller directed by Shivam Nair and produced by Neeraj Pandey.

The film marks to be Hindi cinema’s first spin off, a concept that is widely explored in the west. A Spin off that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work (e.g. a particular topic, character, or an event) in this case being Taapsee’s characters from Baby (directed by Neeraj Pandey). The film will also have cameos played by all the actors who had worked in Baby.

The film brings back ‘Baby’ team including Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Danny Denzongpa and Madhurima Tuli besides new entrants Manoj Bajpayee, Elli Avram and Prithviraj Sukumaran.

Taapsee has undergone training in mixed martial arts, Kudo and Krav Maga for the role of Shabana Kaif in the action thriller. French stuntman Cyril Raffaelli was roped in as stunt director for the film while Abbas Ali Khan lent his skills as a fight instructor.

Shot in Mumbai and Malaysia, ‘Naam Shabana’ is set to released on March 31, 2017.

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Bollywood celebrities like Anupam Kher, Shekhar Kapur and Dia Mirza have expressed concern over the deteriorating air quality in the national capital.

Delhi on Saturday saw the worst air pollution of the season. The smog that hung low over the city kept pollution levels extremely high, breaching the safe limit by over 17 times at several places.

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Here is what the celebrities had to say:

Shekhar Kapur: Sleeping open air at night staring at the endless Milky Way. Shaking Jamun trees for their fruit at India Gate. That was Delhi. Delhi chokes.

Anupam Kher: This is a pic of Delhi Smog. Sky is full of it at 11.41 a.m. Eyes burning. Lethal and dangerous for people living here. Needs immediate attention.

Ashoke Pandit: If the capital of India is asthmatic and breathless, then India’s health is bleak. Delhi chokes.

Abhishek Kapoor: Delhi smog needs to be addressed with utmost urgency. It’s horrifying to see what we have bought upon ourselves.

Dia Mirza: Stop blaming governments. Become a part of the solution. Citizen participation. Delhi smog. My right to breathe.

Raghu Ram: Really hope the Delhi air situation gets better as soon as possible. Delhi chokes.

Sophie Choudry: Fight for your right to breathe clean air! My right to breathe.

IANS