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Animal is an extreme movie. It crosses most limits for a Bollywood movie. It is safe to say it has given Ranbir Kapoor the Godly status among Bollywood Superstars. It is for these extremes this movie attracted several polarized critical reactions. However in the middle of the criticism, there is a central, rare message of the movie that gets overlooked easily. This is one of the first Hindi movies that dares to explore the vulnerable relationship of a father and a son. And not in a flowery, unrealistic sense. Animal doesn't hesitate in touching upon how far a son can go in his dedication towards the biggest superhero of his life, especially when that superhero has been neglecting and accusing him all life. The chemistry between Anil Kapoor and Ranbir is dynamite. Anil Kapoor is graceful and super strong on screen despite his age. The next big, bold thing Animal accomplishes is establishing a strong, masculine and determined ideal for the falling masculinity of today's age to emulate, in a time when Hindi cinema has been plagued by a stereotype of ruthless feminism as an easy commercial win. From handling childhood trauma of lack of fatherly reciprocity to handling his torrid relationship with his sisters, Ranvijay (Ranbir) never lets life become an excuse to thrive. The movie portrays the subtle idea of bonding among lost brothers. And then there comes the inevitable test of a married man where he has to choose between his woman and his family. And our protagonist naturally chooses his father. However this couldn't be possible without the sacrificial endurance of his wife (Rashmika). Now, she isn't a weak woman either, however the definition of strength she chooses is not blind empowerment but becoming a strength of her man in the bad times. She's the one to stand by him inspite of his criminal antecedent. The movie gives Rashmika a launchpad to superstardom. However, Trapti Dhimry steals the show with her limited screen presence as Zoya. Now, the director, Sandeep Reddy Vanga is wise enough to keep his Ace of spades, Bobby Deol as Abrar as the ultimate climactic delight to the viewer. As bad and merciless as bad and merciless guys can get! This antagonist haunts your intellect for days. There have been cries of misogyny against the movie, however the degree of badness that the antagonist demands justifies the female violence committed by him. The movie sports some unusually good action. The more seasoned watchers may recognise some sequences borrowed from South Korean Cinema though it all falls as quite entertaining. Surprisingly good Hindi and Punjabi soundtrack from a director that has come from a Telugu background. CGI and VFX could be better though still a step in the direction of progress. Shakti Kapoor and Suresh Oberoi deliver a stable character role. The cameo role of Upendra Limye was highly entertaining. This is a necessary movie for the demasculinized generation of today. Don't let the conventional pseudo feminist rhetoric stop you from realising its important message for today's boys. A definite 8/10 from me.

And as such one has to appreciate that the makers of this 2013 remake of the legendary original by Sam Raimi wouldn't have been easy. The creators of such movies are under the constant pressure of raising the bar of something that's already a cut above. The 1981 Evil Dead had a distinct personality among the horror genre basically owing to its unprecedented arrangment of eerie elements that relied more on in-your-face atmospheric horror than jump scares. The 2013 remake sticks to the basic skeleton of the original script while putting the gore and splatter entities on steroids. The casting is apt. Basically, with the movie set in 2013, the viewers expect way lot in terms of visual experience compared to the CGI devoid 70s and 80s. Brings to mind the same situation the directors of remake of 'I spit on Your Grave', another 70s horror gem must have encountered. Evil Dead (2013) doesn't give the viewer much time to relax right from the beginning. It's not a slow burn. This movie may not be as patient as its 1981 counterpart to form precise character arcs. From the disturbing prelude of the characters to eventually turning into a body horror, the movie doesn't leave any trick in the book to make its audience uncomfortable. Fans of gore fests will not be disappointed. Not a lot of change has been made to the original plot except the violence being more graphic. The one part that did let down was the end. While the original sported one of the most epic endings that yelled "The Evil Has No End", one longs to see a more sinister end to the current movie, something that would extinguish all hopes of any good happening. Basically, watch this for the shock factor and a unique blend of classic horror and modern gore.

Godday Godday Chaa presents a fun filled picture of a relatively unknown social issue from the yesteryears of Punjab. The movie is high on energy (like most Punjabi movies are) and has some peppy and melodious dance numbers too. Sonam Bajwa impresses as the pivotal protagonist to this comic representation of the challenges most women faced in the past in remote rural subsections of Punjab and their fight towards freedom from these unwarranted restrictions. Most supporting cast and the male leads were pretty convincing in their roles and the humor was well timed. The lines were well written. The casting was pretty apt and the picture of a typical Punjabi conservative Pind (village) is painted brilliantly. Tania who plays thr younger sister Nikko is a glam doll to watch and equally talented. Overall Godday Godday Chaa is one of those rare advocates of women's rights that does it without overdoing it, loathing feminism in any way, male bashing or spreading any form of toxicity. In fact for most parts, it's a pretty refreshing watch. You feel like getting up and tapping your feet to the Gidda towards the climax. I give it a 6.8/10.