roniksharma

You start watching Bulbbul thinking it's a normal tale of witches and fantasy, but as time passes by it turns out to be so much more.

Traditional horror is replaced by a much more deeper version of the genre. The horror doesn't lie in the witch but lies in how a woman is defamed as one. The movie is first and foremost a feminist tale, with each scene being enriched with basic stereotypes as well as lessons. The music is impactful and phenomenal as well.

While Avinash Tiwary drove 'Laila Majnu', which also co-starred Tripti Dimri, it's the latter that outshines everyone in this film. Tripti's transition from being vulnerable to majestic is amazing and awe-inspiring. Avinash plays his role well though he isn't handed much to do. Rahul Bose, in his short role, nevertheless leaves an impact and his scenes make us gasp in horror. Paoli Dam is amazing in her role as well and her scenes with Tripti are the highlights of the movie.

While the movie is truly as the title describes it, the climax and ending appears rather abruptly and you are left yearning for more. You wish the film packed more scares for a horror film and more drama between the dysfunctional family. On that note, the film never reaches the heights films like Tumbbad reached.

Nevertheless the film is a success and a one time watch.

After a period of 55 days, which included large scale protests across the country, Padmaavat (formerly titled Padmavati) has finally been released and the peace that a cinema lover achieves at getting a glimpse of the title on the big screen is incomparable to anything else. Padmaavat tells the fictitious tale of how the sky of Maharawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor) and Rani Padmavati's (Deepika Padukone) marriage gets shrouded by a dark cloud in the form of Sultan Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh).

Sanjay Leela Bhansali beautifully directs this extravaganza and with the help of Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography makes this epic a visual treat. However, compared to Bhansali's last outing 'Bajirao Mastani', the film is lower on emotional content. The chemistry between the lead characters is complete vanilla and the film focuses more on the villain's bonding with other characters (which is confusing as the film was titled 'Padmavati' before).

Deepika Padukone looks elegant and beautiful and like Bhansali said, was the only one who could do this role justice. Shahid Kapoor looks miscast because of his stature but is impressive in the acting field. However, the elephant in the movie is Ranveer Singh. His vain and cruel impression of Alauddin Khilji is winning hearts everywhere and is one of the best parts of the film. Jim Sarbh, Aditi Rao Hydari and Raza Murad have small but effective roles. Anupriya Goenka as Rani Nagmati misses the mark.

The music is also as impressive than Bhansali's predecessor either, but still enjoyable. 'Ghoomar' is a visual and beautifully choreographed treat and 'Ek Dil Ek Jaan' as well as 'Binte Dil' appear on similar lines of the song 'Aayat' from Bajirao Mastani. However, Bhansali has surpassed his previous outing's 'Malhari' with 'Khalibali' as the video song makes you want to dance like crazy (courtesy Ranveer Singh). 'Nainowalo Ne' and 'Holi' are plain mediocre.

The film may appear regressive to others (especially the jauhar scene), but overall the film is a fantastic watch and also one step up for Bollywood Vs Hollywood too.