Tanhaji (2020)The film traces the life of the fierce Maratha warrior, Tanhaji Malusare, who was one of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s closest aides and a military leader. It focuses on the famous Battle of Sinhagad (February 4, 1670), which saw Tanhaji take on Udaybhan, a Rajput who fought for Aurangzeb against the Marathas.

‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ Review: Under the Treaty of Purandar, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (Sharad Kelkar) surrendered 23 forts to Aurangzeb (Luke Kenny), including the Kondhana (now called Sinhagad), which was of strategic importance. Rajmata Jijabai (Padmavati Rao) swore that she would walk bare feet till the fort is recaptured by the Marathas. Four years later, Aurangzeb sends Udaybhan (Saif Ali Khan) with a huge army and a massive canon called ‘naagin’, to ensure that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj cannot reclaim the fort. While Shivaji Maharaj plans a campaign, he doesn’t want to send his trusted lieutenant and dear friend, Subedar Tanhaji Malusare on the battlefield, as the latter’s son is about to get married. When Tanhaji gets to know of the ‘mohim’ (campaign), he implores Shivaji Maharaj to give him an opportunity to win Kondhana. His wife, Savitribai (Kajol) proves to be his silent strength. Despite the evil intentions of some like Pisal (Ajinkya Deo), Tanhaji manages to make inroads into the fort that is considered impregnable. A fierce battle ensues where Tanhaji fights the deadly Udaybhan. While the story is known, several creative liberties have been taken to capture the attention of the audience.

Ajay Devgn is in top form playing the braveheart Maratha warrior, Tanhaji, with all his might. He powers through with subtlety and restraint while keeping the patriotic passion high at all times. Kajol as Tanhaji’s strong and supportive wife, Savitribai, makes her limited screen time count with a convincing performance. Saif as Udaybhan overpowers; he brings out the brutality and devilish streak of his character with finesse and ferocity. In some moments of his evil madness, he actually adds a tinge of humour to the scene, while breaking into a sinister laugh himself. This is one of Saif’s most outstanding performances. Another high point of the film is the casting of the key characters. Sharad Kelkar as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj looks the part and brings the required gravitas to the part of the warrior-king.

Director Om Raut shows a flair for storytelling in his debut Hindi movie. He maintains a firm grip on the film and balances the emotions and drama with tact. The ‘ghorpad’ (monitor lizard) angle, which is disputed by historians, has been given a twist in the movie. There is generous use of CGI, which is merged seamlessly in the narrative. It helps mount the film on a scale that it needed to create a solid impact. The action — and there is obviously a lot of sword fighting, slicing, dicing — is designed (by action director Ramazan Bulut) and shot skillfully and aesthetically and is a visual treat. While the film didn’t really need to be made in 3D format, some scenes do stand out.

‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ scores on various counts — superior performances, powerful action, visual impact, and most of all, it unfolds a story from the pages of history that deserved to be told, with just this kind of intensity, passion and vigour.

Street Dance (2020) Arch rivals Inayat (Shraddha Kapoor) and Sahej (Varun Dhawan) are the captains of two powerhouse dance teams – Rule Breakers and Street Dancers, respectively. In order to prove their supremacy over one another, both the gangs lock horns in a top-notch dance competition. But, their individual outlook towards life undergoes a drastic change as they tread along.

Street Dancer 3D Review: Adorably pompous by nature, Inayat knows she’s got them both – killer looks and impressive dance moves to ‘kuch alag karne ka’ – and has no qualms about using these innate weapons to rub her age-old foe up the wrong way; the ultimate softie and cut-throat competitor, Sahej. Although they have a respectable fan-base on the streets of London, the duo, not-so-secretly, has always wanted to beat each other in the art-form they are truly passionate about – dancing. What starts off as a harmless tiff between two opponents, takes the form of something bigger than themselves, as the story progresses towards one of the grandest dance challenges in the world. Essentially a dance flick, ‘Street Dancer 3D’ also encapsulates the moral growth of a pack of skilled dancers – both on stage and the bigger theatrics that is life.

The opulent and equally impressive entries of the lead pair – Shraddha Kapoor and Varun Dhawan – has Remo D’Souza’s signature style imprinted all over it. In his third dance-based film, the choreographer-turned-writer/director has upped his game in terms of the presentation of various dance forms – Jazz, Contemporary, Afro, Krump, Locking and Popping, Animation Tutting, Urban and Slow Mo. – and has even aptly managed to rope in some very polished performers from the world over. In fact, with her top knot, big hair, profusion of sass and impeccable dancing, Nora Fatehi as Mia turns out to be quite the revelation and reveals the charm of a glam diva. Other than Shradhha and Varun’s personable representation of desi-at-heart NRIs, the duo has worked relentlessly hard on their postures and overall dance movements, and it shows on screen despite them being surrounded by a surplus of supremely talented professional dancers. Shraddha’s borderline arrogant Inayat complements Varun’s sentimental Sahej. The VFX, too, proves to be an added advantage as Remo has used the power of technology to keep things visually exciting for the audience at all times.

Dancers-turned-actors Dharmesh Yelande, Punit Pathak, Salman Yusuff Khan and Raghav Juyal have played their respective parts competently and Prabhudeva’s act as this silent former performer-restaurateur is a surprise package. His revamped version of ‘Muqabla’ stirs old memories and is a moment to watch out for.

However, what doesn’t favour the narrative is the length; it should have been trimmed down by a good 20 minutes. Yes, dance rightly takes the centre stage in ‘Street Dancer 3D’ but it is almost impossible to overlook the haphazard writing; for one, the film starts with one underlying theme and wraps up with completely another, thus, leaving the viewers perplexed in the first half and disappointed in the second. True, it is a performance-oriented film but if a plethora of songs, dance sequences and battlefield banters are thrown in after every five to seven minutes, then it could get distracting even for a die-hard fan of this genre. Also, this movie caters to the taste of a certain section of the audience – the usual dance lovers, and the ones who love to watch glamorous sets in Bollywood films.

‘Street Dancer 3D’ does have a strong message to send across to its audience – that of love in the face of adversity, compassion towards those we know and those we don’t, and stresses upon the importance of friendship over personal gains – but fails to stitch it together with an organised cinematic fabric. If not for the story, watch it for the love of dance. And, get ready to groove and move!

CHHAPAAK (2020)

Meghna Gulzar’s ‘Chhapaak’ is inspired by the story of real life acid attack survivor, Laxmi Agarwal, who has become a symbol of strength and inspiration for many women. The film is a fictionalized account with Deepika Padukone playing the central character Malti, who is attacked in broad daylight on the streets of Delhi by a friend of the family, Bashir Khan aka Babbu and his aide.

As the narrative chooses a non-linear route, we first meet Malti when she is on a job hunt – consciously trying to move on from the emotional scars that the heinous crime has left her with. For the physical scars, she has to go through a number of complicated surgeries. In fact, far from the dreams she nursed of being a singer, her life is now an intersection of her work with an NGO for acid victims, her multiple surgeries and her court cases. Yet, the film steers away from melodrama or manipulation, and instead gives us a powerful protagonist whose resolve to fight is punctuated with her determined smiles, the pain in her eyes and her indomitable spirit.

As support from her family dwindles owing to her brother’s illness and father’s death, it is Malti’s lawyer Archana (Madhurjeet Sarghi), who stands by her through her arduous journey. From Malti’s PIL to ban the sale of acid to amendments in the acid violence legislation, her team of women lawyers, take on the system. Her other main support comes from Amol (Vikrant Massey), who employs her to work for his NGO.

Deepika Padukone is the soul of the film, delivering a brilliant, immersive performance. In fact, there are many scenes where her act will move you to tears – like the one where she holds up an earring to her face but realizes now she can’t put it on. Or her piercing cry when she sees her face for the first time in a mirror after the attack. And one where she determinedly tells Amol, “Mujhe party karni hain.” Precisely why Malti’s character is a winner because at no point does she succumb to self-pity. And as Deepika embraces her character completely, her transformation is enhanced through effective prosthetics. Devoid of even a hint of glamour, all we see is Malti throughout.

Both Vikrant Massey and Madhurjeet Sarghi pitch in very commendable performances. The story sends out a strong message and is undoubtedly a brave attempt, however the edit seems choppy in places and certain parts of the narrative seem a tad stretched in the second half. The music tracks stand out – with ‘Chhapaak’ title track and ‘Nok Jhok’ (soundtrack by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, lyrics by Gulzar) adding to the poignancy of the mood.

‘Chhapaak’ is not a film that lets you go easy, just as one begins to settle in to think Malti has managed to get better of her perpetrator, it jolts you with a few grim, uncomfortable reminders.

‘Chhaapak’ is a sensitive film with a delicate, yet powerful, handling of a heinous crime against women, and an important story that needs to be heard.