Torbaaz Rating

Cast : Kalidas Jayaram, Anjali, Kalki Koechlin,Padam Kumar, Simran, Prakash Raj, Sai Pallavi

Directed by : Sudha Kongara, Vignesh Shivan, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Vetrimaaran

Producer : Ashi Dua, Rhea Kongara

Cinematography : Theni Eswar, Ganesh Rajavelu

So, continuing the series of reviewing movies and shows, our today’s pick is Paava Kadhaigal, the Tamil anthology film. This film is available on Netflix and let’s now see how it is.

Story :

This anthology film has our stories directed by Sudha Kongara, Vignesh Shivan, Gautam Menon, and Vetri Maran. The Sudha Kongara story deals with the life of the transgender Sattar(Kalidas Jayaram) who is looked down on by his own family. In the second story directed by Vignesh Shivan, honor killing is the main aspect and deals with the story of two twin sisters played by Anjali. In Gautam Menen’s story, his own daughter gets raped at the age of 12. Finally, the last short directed by Vetrimaran is about how a father kills his own pregnant daughter(Sai Pallavi) for his honor and prestige

What’s Good

Paava Kadhaigal is undoubtedly the best-made anthology series so far in the country. The stories deal with rape, honor killing, and taboo subjects in society and have been narrated in a riveted manner. The emotions are so strong that leave a deep impact on you even after you are done watching the film. Tamil cinema’s finest directors narrate four stories that are contemporary and have superlative performances.

Kalidas Jayram as the transgender kills it with his adorable act. His emotions and the way he showcases his body language was amazing. Anjali is superb in her bold role and gets to showcase different aspects of her twin role. In Gautam Menon’s story, the once glam Simran plays a doting orthodox mother with aplomb. Gautam Menon himself plays the husband and the way the couple deal with the rape of their daughter is showcased so well with moving emotions.

But the best of the lot is the story of Prakash Raj and Sai Pallavi that is directed by Vetrimaran. Sai Pallavi gives one of her best performances as a pregnant lady whose father kills her by poisoning her. The drama, emotional outburst that Sai Pallavi gives was too good to see. Prakash Raj as the menacing father who does not show anything on his face was another asset. The songs of the film are too good and so was the BGM. The camerawork, production values of all the stories was on point.

What’s Bad

There are not so many drawbacks in this film as an episode is nicely packed. Gautam Menon looks a bit war in showcasing some emotions in the film. His expressions could have been better in key scenes. Also, in Sudha Kongara’s story, Kalidas’ love for hero Shantanu Bagyaraj should have been showcased in a better manner. This would have helped to establish the story even better.

Verdict :

On the whole, Paava Kadhaigal is one of the best films in recent times. Each short story in this anthology deals with strong subjects and evoke moving emotions and questions human integrity. Upon this, the mesmerizing performances and finest narration by top directors make this film a must-watch. Don’t miss this one.

123telugu.com Rating : 3.5/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

Cast : Sanjay Dutt, Nargis Fakhri, Rahul Dev, Gavie Chahal, Rahul Mittra

Directed by : Girish Malik

Producer : Raju Chadha, Rahul Mittra, Puneet Singh, Girish Malik

Cinematography : Hiroo Keswani

Continuing the trend of reviewing shows and films on OTT, today, a Hindi film called Torbaaz has hit the small screens. The film is available on Netflix and let’s see how it is.

Story

Nasser Khan(Sanjay Dutt) is a doctor in the Indian army. He works for the Indian embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. In a tragic attack, both his wife and son get killed and Nasser comes back to India. Years later, his old friend from Kabul, Ayesha(Nargis Fakhri) calls him for the inauguration of a refugee camp called Tomorrow’s Hope. After reaching there, Nasser realizes that the kids in the camp are quite talented in the game of cricket. Then, Nasser decides to become their cricket coach and help the kids achieve their dreams. But doing that in a country like Afghanistan filled with terrorists is a deadly task. How did Nasser do it is the whole story.

Plus Points

The story of the film is quite interesting and looks inspiring as well. The plight of the children in a terror-ridden country like Afghanistan has been showcased well in the film. The story throws light on these aspects and helps in adding to the viewer’s knowledge. The main asset is the visuals. Hiroo Keswani’s cinematography is beautiful. The locales of Kyrgyzstan are very well captured.

Sanjay Dutt was decent in the film but his character does not have much of an impact. His screen presence is good but the good old Sanjay Dutt is not seen anymore due to his laid-back attitude. Priyanka Verma is decent in the cameo. Preet Bhanushali doesn’t have much to do. Rahul Mittra suits the part but his performance is weak.

Minus Points

The songs in the film are a huge drawback and things do work because of this. They distract the viewing experience o the audience. Also, the film has a documentary kind of a feel and is slow in many areas. The film starts on a dull note and the emotions in the main characters are not that effective.

Girish Malik’s direction is the biggest culprit. This could have been a great flick if the direction was better or it was handled by someone else but sadly, Girish Malik’s execution spoils the show. A few scenes are random and are added for the heck of it.

The cricket match scene doesn’t impress and things could have been narrated on a better note. Also, too much time is wasted at the beginning of the film to establish the main story.

Technical Aspects

Vikram Montrose’s music doesn’t work. Bickram Ghosh’s background score, however, has the element. Jawed Karim’s action is sans and blood and gore which looks weird for a film set in Kabul. VFX is average in a few scenes. Editing by Protim Khaound is haphazard at places and many scenes could have cut out. Director Girish Malika brings out a good subject but his narration is jaded and makes the film dull and boring.

Verdict

On the whole, Torbaaz is an emotional drama that has a very interesting setup. The realistic scenes depicting the life of kids in Afghanistan look good but the rest of the narration, cricket matches, and emotions do not click making this film a dull and boring watch.

123telugu.com Rating : 2/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

OTT Review : Paava Kadhaigal – Tamil film on Netflix

Review : Torbaaz – Hindi film on Netflix