Pankaj Tripathi

OTT Review : Criminal Justice(Season 2) – Hindi series on Disney Hotstar

by 123telugu December 30, 2020

Star Cast : Jisshu Sengupta, Kirti Kulhari, Ashish Vidyarthi, Pankaj Tripathi, Anupriya Goenka

Directed by : Rohan Sippy

Producers : Sameer Nair, Deepak Segal, Myleeta Aga

So, continuing the series of reviewing movies and shows, our today’s pick is Criminal Justice 2, the latest Hindi web series on Disney Hotstar. Let’s now see how it is.

Story :

In the second season, Madhav Mishra(Pankaj Tripathi), a small-time lawyer takes up another case of Anu Chandra(Kriti Kulhari) who murders stabs her husband Bikram Chandra(Jisshusen Gupta). Things take a U-turn for Madhav when Bikram dies in the hospital. Did Anu really kill Bikram? Is there a new angle in this murder? and how will Madhav solve it? That forms the story.

What’s Good

The setup and story look quite gripping. What looks like an open and shut case, the narration makes it quite interesting. Kriti Kulhari is amazing as Anu and did her emotional role superbly. She, in a de-glam role, has so much scope to perform and gives a memorable performance. Pankaj Tripathi is once again the soul of the show with his subdued acting.

The manner in which he deals with the case and how his funny histrionics in his conversations with his wife, he has showcased emotions in a beautiful manner. Deepti Naval, Jisshu Sen Gupta, and the supporting cast did a good job. Asish Vidhyarthi as a lawyer and Anupriya Goenka were also neat in their roles.

The production values of the show are top-notch. Most of the show happens in a court and jail and these setups are quite realistic. The domestic abuse angle is showcased in a very delicate manner. The way the last episode showcases shocking problems that women go through in their marital life has been addressed well.

What’s Bad

One of the biggest drawbacks of the show is the slow pace. The story is addressed in a way too slow manner and this was not necessary at all. The screenplay could have been tighter in many courtroom scenes in the end. Also, the show could have been wrapped up in six episodes and was unnecessarily dragged to eight.

Why the main man, Jisshu Sen Gupta tortured his wife and what was his motto for being such cruel should have been showcased in a better way. Too many jail scenes are disturbing and that aspect could have been reduced to make things look better.

Verdict :

On the whole, Criminal Justice is a gritty courtroom drama that addresses key issues in domestic abuse. The setup, solid performances, and confrontations are basic assets. But the slow pace and length in a few episodes drag the proceedings a bit. Barring this, this series ends up as a decent watch

Rating: 3/5

December 30, 2020

OTT Review : Ludo – Hindi film on Netflix

by 123telugu November 18, 2020

Starring : Abhishek Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Fatima Sana Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Rohit Suresh Saraf, Pearle Maaney

Directed by : Anurag Basu

Produced by : Bhushan Kumar, Divya Khosla Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Anurag Basu, Tani Basu, Deepshika Bose

Music by : Pritam

Cinematography : Anurag Basu, Rajesh Shukla

Edited by : Ajay Sharma

So, continuing the series of reviewing OTT shows and films, our today’s pick is the Hindi film Ludo. The film is available on Netflix and let’s see how it is.

Story :

Sattu Bhaiyya(Pankaj Tripathi) is a dreaded gangster who kills a builder and hell breaks out loose. Four different characters with names Bittu Tiwari(Abhishek Bachchan) Akash(Aditya Roy Kapur) Aalu(Rajkummar Rao)and Shruti (Sanya Malhotra) get entangled in this murder without their knowledge. How one murder changes things for these characters forms the story of Ludo.

What’s Good

With each passing film, Pankaj Tripathi is getting solid roles and he is the best part in Ludo as well. He has the best role and delivers a solid performance. His expressions and comedy timing in a few scenes are to die for. Next in line is Rajkumar Rao who is superb. His take on Mithun Chakraborthy in all his dialogues and the fun factor he brings was amazing.

Aditya Roy is just about okay in his role and plays his part well. Abhishek Bachchan is also neat but he is getting repetitive in his roles. Sanya Malhotra looks beautiful and is good in her small role. The backstories and characters of each of the actors are nicely written and have been set up well in the plot.

The dialogues are amazing and evoke witty humor. The production design and camerawork are good. But the BGM was even better. The humor angle in the film is good and makes the dull scenes active.

What’s Bad

Though the backstories are written well, director Anurag Basu takes a lot of time to establish them. Because of this, the length of the film becomes long and some parts drag for no reason. The screenplay is a bit wayward as many things happen in the pot and the normal audience can get confused a bit with what is happening in the plot. The film has way too many characters and it is hard to keep track of some in crucial scenes.

Verdict :

On the whole, Ludo is a film that has a very interesting backdrop. The film is filled with noted Bollywood stars and the performances they give and their weird characters make things interesting. If you ignore the length and slightly complex narration, this film ends up as a decent watch.

Rating: 3/5

November 18, 2020

Review : Gunjan Saxena -Hindi film on Netflix

by 123telugu August 13, 2020

Release date : Aug 12th, 2020

123telugu.com Rating : 3/5

Starring : Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi,Vineet Kumar Singh

Director : Sharan Sharma

Producer : Karan Johar

Music by : John Stewart Eduri

Cinematography by : R. Dee

Gunjan Saxena is a film that has been awaited for a long time as it is based on the life of Indian Air Force Pilot Gunjan Saxena, who fought the Kargil War for India. The biopic is now out on Netflix and let’s see how it turns out to be.

Story :

Gunja Saxena(Janhvi Kapoor) is a very bright student in school. Right from her teenage, she wants to become a pilot. Her mother and brother are strictly against her idea but Gunjan’s father(Anup Saxena) encourages her to take up flying. She decides to become a pilot but she cannot afford it. So, her father suggests Gunjan join the Indian Air Force. Gunjan passes all tests and starts her journey as an Indian pilot. But through her training, she is looked down upon and is not taken seriously The rest of the story is as to how Gunjan proves everyone wrong and even fights the Kargil war for the country.

Plus Points :

The film is more about the struggle of Gunjan Saxena and how she fought hard to become a daring Indian pilot. There is no exaggeration in this fact and the film showcases the various insults and struggles the young pilot goes through in life. Angad Bedi is superb as the tension-filled brother of Gunjan.

The heart of the film is Pankaj Tripathi who is amazing in his role as Gunjan’s dad. The calmness he brings to the film and his immense emotional bond with his daughter has been emoted superbly by Pankaj Tripathi. He is a proven actor and there is no melodrama in his performance and he is top-notch and the best part of the film.

Janhvi Kapoor gets the most difficult role of her life so far and does her best. She is amazing in all her scenes with her dad and does well to play the real-life pilot. Though her performance looks jaded in the beginning, by the end of the film, she is at ease and is amazing in the climax.

Minus Points

Even though the film is just one hour 54 minutes long, it feels a bit dragged. Too much time is spent on the childhood scenes of Gunjan Saxena. All those who think that the film is more about how Gunjan Saxena fought the Kargil war, they will be disappointed as this part only forms the climax of the film. Also, the Indian air force pilots are showcased as those who never encourage women pilots. The film is filled with feminist scenes and this might not go well with a few. A few scenes are also predictable at the beginning of the film.

Technical Aspects

Production values of the film are top-notch as all the chopper scenes are showcased in a deadly manner. Heavy-duty VFX is used but not one scene looks artificial. The film has solid camera work and production values are top-notch. Dialogues are amazing and those written for Pankaj Tripathi are quite emotional. The production design, music score, and BGM sit perfectly in the film.

Coming to the director Saran Sharma, he has done a decent job with the biopic. He does not beat around the bush and showcases too much of fiction as well. There are scenes where Gunjan says that she has come to the Indian air force only to fly and not because of her love for the country. With such dialogues, he stays true to the story and shows the film in a more emotional note.

Verdict :

On the whole, Gunjan Saxena is an emotional biopic of India’s bravest Air Force Pilot. The film is based on the struggles faced by Gunjan Saxena and showcases what she went through mentally to achieve big in life. Though the narration is predictable and the pace is slow, emotional moments and good performances make this film a decent watch.

123telugu.com Rating : 3/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team

August 13, 2020

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