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The staged banter between Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap on Twitter a couple of weeks prior to the release of “AK vs AK” promised the audience this was going to be a brutally humorous film where the two actors roast each other like chicken on a grill. And it is with pleasure that we note that the roast is well done. Very-very well done.

Veteran Bollywood (cameos in Hollywood) actor Anil Kapoor and badass director/writer turned actor Anurag Kashyap play themselves in this dark comedy thriller that has taken netizens aback with shock over how crazily creative the filmmaking team gets.

Penned by Avinash Sampath and directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, the film’s first noticeable deviation from normal is its cinematography. With mostly handheld shots that follow the characters around from a POV perspective, the film feels like watching a single-camera reality show. There’s a character who’s shooting a documentary on Anurag Kashyap—enough reason for the filmmakers to shoot the whole thing like a documentary, or a mockumentary, if you please.

The film begins with actors Anil Kapoor and Anurag Kashyap—both evidently holding old grudges against each other—getting into a verbal spat in front of a live audience. Sly as he is, Kapoor manages to provoke Kashyap enough to make him throw a glass of water on the actor, which backfires on Kashyap as the audience, the media and the film fraternity boycott him. A raging Kashyap then decides to take revenge on Kapoor by kidnapping his daughter, actress Sonam Kapoor (playing herself), and making Kapoor act in the “most dangerous hostage thriller in cinema” as he tries to find his daughter before daylight—or she dies.

AK vs AK is quick, evenly paced and to my personal liking, not stretched. I am particularly biased towards films that keep to the 90-minute mark and AK vs AK comes at a healthy 1h 48mins. Sampath-Motwane’s screenplay and Kashyap’s dialogues ensure the film keeps its improvisational mood and appears light, when, in reality, there is some serious filmmaking and acting skills in evidence.

For Kashyap, who delivers his best acting performance among the few films he has featured in, AK and AK could be a transition to an acting career. He has given up his roles of writing, direction and producing to others while he channels his inner actor. In a lead role where he gets maximum screen time, he is impressive.

For Anil Kapoor—who has featured in over 100 films in a career spanning over 40 years—AK vs AK is redemption from the recent strings of audacious roles in disasters like “Total Dhamaal”, “Race 3” and “Paagalpanti”. The actor shows the world why he has been steadily successful in his long career and cannot be written off yet. He transitions perfectly into an OTT actor from his previous “Bollywood hero” image and probably for the first time in his career, uses the ‘M@#$***#@’ word. (Hindi version)

The script intentionally makes a mockery of both the lead actors. It takes jibes at their careers and personal lives, using real incidents and anecdotes. The film even features real characters associated with the actors and doesn’t spare even their families. With cameos from Kapoor’s son Harshvardhan Kapoor and producer brother Boney Kapoor, as well as Kashyap’s favorite colleague Nawazuddin Siddiqui (voice only), the film also gives the audience a peek into the behind-the-scenes of Bollywood and the famous Film City.

The only let down, however, is the climax. There is a twist at the end, as one would expect, but the ending is not as grand as the beginning. The film does have a constant pace but on the flip side, fails to build momentum ahead of a fitting finale. But still, it does better than many recent Bollywood ‘blockbusters’ we’ve watched.

Who should watch it?

AK vs AK is a work of art. Although more on the commercial side, the emphasis on creativity and artistry is visibly felt. Thus its a must-watch for movie lovers of all genres.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Dark comedy/thriller

Actors: Anil Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap

Director: Vikramaditya Motwane

When the country went into its first lockdown on March 24 this year, everything was shut: schools, salons, gyms, swimming pools, hotels, restaurants, bars and every other service that the government deemed unnecessary. People stayed put in their homes. As lockdown restrictions waxed and waned, for over six months people were alternately scared, confused, bored, frustrated and angry.

When the restrictions were finally lifted in the first week of September, Nepal went back to normal as if the virus had suddenly disappeared. Despite the rising number of cases, ‘covid fatigue’ made most folks shun all health protocols and rush back, pell-mell, to their daily lives. Hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs reopened in all of the country’s major tourist hotspots. Only this time, they were mostly filled with internal tourists.

The rebound against the roughly six months of lockdown was so strong, our sources tell us, tourist cities of Pokhara and Chitwan were full of domestic tourists in September and October, especially around Dashain and Tihar.

Lakeside's Rolling Stones Rock bar on Dec 22, Tuesday

It is only natural that hotels and restaurants see 2021-eve as an opportune time to revive their businesses that were battered by the covid contagion. With the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation proposing two-day weekend to promote domestic tourism and the number of internal tourists increasing regardless, tourism entrepreneurs are now hopeful of surviving till the world gets back to normal.

Festive streets

Domestic tourists have of late been flocking to the lake city. Yet the announcement of the Restaurant and Bar Association Nepal (REBAN) Pokhara’s 22^nd Lakeside Street Festival was still a surprise. After the lockdown starting March and concomitant restrictions barring over 25 people from gathering at a public place, the upcoming street festival, scheduled for December 30-January 1, could be Nepal’s best attended entertainment event of past nine months.  

The days of the festival have been cut from five to three and fewer participants are expected compared to previous years. Yet Pokhara’s tourist entrepreneurs are pinning their hope on the festival to give a new boost to their flagging businesses.

Bikash Bhattarai, general secretary of REBAN Pokhara, assures top-notch anti-covid measures during the three-day festival. “The festival is our effort to light a candle in the pitch darkness that has descended on our business,” says Bhattarai. “And we will take every measure to give attendees a sense of safety.” Bhattarai says REBAN Pokhara has already conducted training sessions on physical distancing and sanitization measures in the restaurants and bars in the Lakeside area.

The street festival will also cut short its list of activities deemed unsafe even outdoors. For instance, live concerts and sports activities including the annual tug-of-war have been cancelled in the fear that they could defy physical distancing protocols. The focus this year will rather be the various Lakeside restaurants showcasing their culinary skills in safe outdoor environments. Instead of musical concerts and crowded sports events, the festival will have small cultural programs and other activities that don’t involve big crowds. There will be health desks and coordinators who will monitor visitors and offer sanitization services.

“Recent trends suggest even domestic tourism can help us not just sustain but even earn a little profit,” Bhattarai says. “The popular restaurants and bars are back to doing up to 70 percent of their pre-covid business, which is a good indicator.”

Contrasting fortunes

For decades now, the Lakeside has been to Pokhara what Thamel has been to Kathmandu—an indicator of the city’s tourism and tourism-related economy. But while the outlook for Thamel, the older hub, is bleak, with many known establishments closing down forever, Lakeside offers a rosier picture. Bhattarai informs that not even five percent of restaurants and bars in Pokhara have remained closed and among those that have not reopened, more than half are getting back to business starting with the street festival. This was made possible with many landlords waving off all rents of some establishments till December. Other landlords waived off 50 percent rent and eased payments to help the outlets retain their spaces and the Lakeside its vibrancy. Unfortunately, the same coordination between landlords and tenants is absent in Thamel.

The Paschimanchal Hotel Association Pokhara (PHAP)—which is also conducting a campaign under the slogan “Jaaun Hai Pokhara” (Lets go to Pokhara) in major Tarai cities like Birgunj, Janakpur, Biratnagar and Chitwan—is also bullish on domestic tourists. As the lockdown restrictions were lifted and people’s mobility increased, Pokhara hotels saw up to 80 percent occupancies, albeit at vastly discounted rates.

“Domestic tourists are now the backbone of our tourism,” says Bikal Tulachan, hotelier and president of PHAP. “Every year, we have been getting more and more. The challenge for us is to maintain that momentum in this difficult post-lockdown phase.” At a time when international arrivals have virtually ground to a halt, Nepali tourist-related ventures have no option but to rely on and cater to domestic tourists, Tulachan says.

Irish Pub Pokhara on December 23, Wednesday

Citing the example of how well-off Nepalis spend millions of rupees vacationing abroad, Tulachan suggests local businesses improve infrastructure and customize businesses to cater to these tourists and keep the money in the country. While most businesses in tourist hubs were formerly focused on international guests, Tulachan suggests a change in approach.

Expressing doubt about the prospects of the proposed two-day weekly holiday and the ‘Internal Tourism Year 2021,’ especially after tourism minister Yogesh Bhattarai’s recent resignation, Tulachan urges a collective effort of all three tiers of government as well as stakeholders in tourism to boost domestic tourism.

Some happier

Hari Poudel, manager of Lakeside’s famous Paradiso Sports Bar, formerly known as Club Amsterdam, is optimistic too. “We opened fully from September and have done good business since. We would be more than happy if the present situation continues,” Poudel says. He seconds Tulachan that venues now have to adapt to domestic tourists, which means a change in food, ambience, and music, among other factors.

Recalling how the streets of Lakeside were filled with vehicles from Kathmandu during Dashain, Poudel expects the same during the street festival. As there has been ‘negligible number of covid infections’ in the area, Poudel believes the outdoor festival will send a positive message about Pokhara’s tourism industry to the rest of the country.

Paragliding pilot Trisha Bomjan does not share the optimism though.

A seasoned flier who has been working in Pokhara for six years, Bomjan says these are desperate times for paragliders in Pokahra. “We have been giving 60-70 percent discount on paragliding services, which leaves us with almost nothing after you cut our expenses, other fees and paragliding companies’ commissions,” Bomjan says.

The main paragliding clients are international tourists, Bomjan informs. But now the roughly 400 pilots in Pokhara are making do with what little they make flying domestic tourists at heavily discounted rates. Also the accident last month, when a pilot died and a passenger sustained heavy injuries, drastically decreased the number of local passengers, Bomjan says. From 1,000-1,200 flights per day, the number has come down to 100-200, leaving many pilots without any work.

This brings us back to Tulachan who says that Pokhara might still attract local tourists but only if it can do more than bare minimum for visitors. Besides restaurants and bars, adventure tourism as well as other tourist activities need an overhaul to cater mostly to Nepalis. Adventure sports like zipline, bungee and paragliding are still niche among Nepali tourists and mostly a one-time affair. Also, their food habits are vastly different to foreigners’.

This suggests that as with most other businesses, constant adaption is the new name of the game for Pokhara’s tourism-related enterprises.

Originally produced for a theatrical release in 2019, the Sanjay Dutt-starrer “Torbaaz” had a couple of postponements before it was finally released on Netflix on December 11. It was only natural for a film with the charismatic Dutt as the main lead to draw the attention of this reviewer, who was otherwise already halfway through a recently released Indian series.

So Bollywood’s badass Dutt plays Naseer Khan, a doctor who’s revisiting Afghanistan to volunteer in an NGO that helps displaced children in refugee camps. From the start of the movie, we’re told that Dr Khan has some really bad memories of the place from his previous stay there as an employee at the Indian Embassy.

Khan is traumatized with the memories of Afghanistan, to the point he even dislikes the children there. We later learn that Khan’s wife and son had died in a suicide bombing carried out by a local Afghani boy he knew. But still, being the good Samaritan that he is and with respect for his wife’s humanitarian works, Khan makes peace with his fear and hatred to support the children of a rural Afghan community.

At the camp, he meets some young Afghani and Pakistani boys who have a huge interest in cricket. As an ode to his late son who was a cricket enthusiast and an aspiring player, Dutt decides to become a coach to the children and start a cricket team.

But it’s not as easy a task as he assumes, especially with the entry of the notorious warlord Qazar (Rahul Dev) in the region. Qazar is a Taliban leader who uses children to conduct suicide bombings across the country and is in search of escaped children from Pakistan, who coincidentally are a part of Khan’s cricket team.

Torbaaz’s story and screenplay—although originally written for a Bollywood-level production—seem more to meet the criteria of independent films made for OTT releases. With evidently more budget than these independent films and subjects like cricket and children as suicide bombers that could evoke audience passion, there seems nothing that can go wrong.

Unfortunately, the film’s biggest asset turns out to be one of its pressing liabilities. At the risk of arousing the wrath of Sanjay Dutt’s longtime fans, there’s no better way to say what I am going to: he is a total disaster in the film. This has to be one of his laziest performances where he does not even attempt to get into character. In this film, Dutt is not a distraught father and husband, much less a convincing doctor or a cricket coach. Instead, he’s just the actor Sanjay Dutt reading out a script without bothering to understand his character. Wonder what director/producer/writer Girish Malik was doing through the shooting.

Dutt’s inclusion in the movie also gives it too much Bollywoodish aura—which is not ideal for OTT audiences. Any other actor who doesn’t come with such a large baggage of Bollywood would have fared better, making the entire production seem more mature.

So the child actors who seem to be cast from among the locals in the area perform better under the guidance of acting coach/acting workshop director Mayank Dixit.

Also commendable is Hiroo Keswani’s cinematography. Keswani shows Afghanistan in a different light than what we’re used to seeing. Portrayed in most Bollywood and Hollywood movies as a violent region full of deathly deserts, Afghanistan in Torbaaz gets a more humane, scenic, picturesque touch, almost to the point of it appearing like an attractive tourist destination.

Who should watch it?

Although the film stars Sanjay Dutt, we humbly request his fans to avoid it in order to avoid a big disappointment. Versatility has never been his forte and Torbaaz is definitely not his cup of Afghani tea.

For the rest of the audience, you can at least watch the movie for the children’s efforts and to see an entirely different side of the ‘war-torn’ Afghanistan.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Genre: Action thriller

Actors: Sanjay Dutt, Rahul Dev

Director: Girish Malik

Run time: 2hr 12mins

When Thamel’s LOD (Lord of the Drinks)—probably the biggest nightclub in the country at the moment—opened last week after almost nine months, massive criticism came its way. Images and videos of youngsters dancing in the club circulated in social media and people could not stop talking about how unsafe these clubs are. Is it wise to open them, they asked, at a time the threat of Covid-19 is still so imminent?  

Despite the all-round criticism, the club decided to open through the week, also featuring live music sessions even on weekends. Following suit, a number of other clubs in Kathmandu, mainly in Thamel, announced the resumption of their services, adding fuel to the debate on the right time to open Kathmandu’s nightlife and entertainment outlets. 

While the majority of people and even medical professionals are against opening bars, pubs and nightclubs in the capital city, the arguments in favor have not been given much space in public forums. People are concerned that late-night clubs could be hotspots for virus transmission as they are unventilated and crowded closed spaces. 

The stakeholders of night entertainment businesses say they are as safe as any other business that has opened. In fact, they claim, their outlets follow more stringent safety protocols than most other private and public enterprises.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, night businesses in Nepal, especially Kathmandu, were the first to take a hit. The police were already enforcing an early shutdown weeks before Nepal went into its first lockdown in mid-March. Even now, when most other businesses and industries are allowed to operate freely, the government’s iron rules on night entertainment have irked the business community and related stakeholders alike. The once throbbing Thamel still wears a deserted look even on weekends, with no tourists and few locals visiting. 

The police have been imposing a curfew on businesses around Thamel—Kathmandu’s nightlife hub—with no clear explanation on where the instructions are coming from. We are told that earlier, the curfew was 8 pm for restaurants, bars, pubs or clubs operating in the Thamel area. Following protests from local businesses, the deadline was pushed back to 10 pm, which is still not viable for their businesses, say entrepreneurs. 

Why only Thamel?

Under the umbrella of the Night Entertainment Business Association of Nepal (NEBAN), entrepreneurs and stakeholders of Thamel have been staging protests against the restrictive measures. Without any relief package from the government, Thamel’s businesses, which otherwise pay high taxes, are on the verge of bankruptcy. Many of them have closed forever and the remaining ones are on the verge of collapse if the strict covid-19 measures continue. “Does corona spread only in Thamel?” “And does it spread only at night?” These were some of the questions the protestors were asking.

“Why is Thamel still under such a strict rule when everything else in the country is open?” questions Biru Man Prajapati, a DJ and entertainment business entrepreneur. “This is an entertainment zone. With all that they have been through in recent times, people need some quality down-time to refresh their minds,” the Thamel resident says.

“Wedding receptions are taking place unhindered and yet people criticize when bars and pubs open. How is that fair?” asks Nikesh Manandhar, drummer of the band AudioSquad which performs in venues around Thamel. Before the lockdown, Manandhar’s band was getting just about enough weekly shows to sustain its five-member team. Now, again, as LOD opened, so did the opportunity for them to earn decently. AudioSquad has resumed its position as a house band at LOD, playing on weekdays, albeit for around 30 percent less payment compared to pre-covid days. 

“We have no complaints as long as we get to play live music,” Manandhar says. “The management has promised to start paying us more as soon as business gets back to normal.” A number of other bands have started performing in Thamel, even though they are often forced to end their sets by 9 pm or even earlier.

“Our protest is not only on behalf of business owners but also countless other stakeholders in Thamel’s night entertainment industry,” says Dinesh Shrestha, vice-president of NEBAN and member of Thamel Tourism Board. Also the owner of the Thamel-based Ozzie Lounge, Shrestha complains of the government apathy to the high-tax paying Thamel businesses as well as of people’s prejudiced perception of what happens in Thamel. 

Jobs at stake

“If you look at areas around Thamel, like Chhetrapati, Ason, New Road, you’ll see that they are crowded all through the day. But when we open for a few hours at night, we are treated like we’re the only super-spreaders,” Shrestha complains, adding that the government has done a huge injustice to the night entertainment industry that creates thousands of jobs.

It’s a vicious cycle, adds Shrestha, where daily wage workers, salaried employees, independent contractors, musicians, singers, dancers, landlords and even banks are suffering. Night life brings people to Thamel, sustaining many other non-entertainment related businesses as well.

Also, Shrestha claims that all the businesses that have resumed or planned to resume are fully aware of the Covid precautions. He again gives the example of LOD which checks the temperature of each guest before letting them in through a sanitization booth. It is operating at half of its capacity and the staff have to mandatorily wear masks at all times. 

“Profit is not our motive at the moment. We just want to minimize our losses and sustain our businesses till everything goes back to normal,” Shrestha says. “Some business owners had taken out millions in loans, anticipating a successful tourism year 2020. Now they can’t even pay their interest. And then there’s rent and staff salary that needs to be paid whether we operate or not.” 

In these conditions, operating in half capacity would be just about enough to retain the staff and pay rents, say stakeholders.

Ashok Thapa, owner of the famous Reggae Bar in Thamel that has been in operation since 2005, seconds Shrestha. Also an executive member of Thamel Tourism Development Council, Thapa informs that it has only been a month since Reggae restarted with live music but the bar is yet to even make break-even revenues. “Despite financial losses, closing down forever is not an option,” Thapa says. “We are maintaining safety protocols and running half capacity just to stay alive as a business.”

Life and death

But Dr. Anup Bastola, chief consultant for Tropical Medicine at the Ministry of Health and Population, advises caution. The crowds in open places like New Road and Ason are not the same as crowds in crowded nightclubs and pubs where people come into contact with one another for longer periods, he says. Bastola also fears that once people get a little drunk, safety measures might take a backseat.

“There are reports of clubs becoming super-spreaders in Europe too. So I think people should be aware that once they enter covered and crowded places, their vulnerability to contracting covid-19 will greatly increase,” Bastola says. Aware of the economic impact of the closure of night entertainment businesses, he emphasizes the need to maintain strict health protocols even if the clubs are to open and requests both patrons and management to consider their own safety.

Khyam Raj Tiwari, ward president of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-26 that includes most of Thamel, informs that his office has already sent letters to the Chief District Office, Tourism Ministry and Home Ministry requesting full resumption of night entertainment businesses in Thamel. “[If we open up] some people may get the coronavirus, and a few could even die. As it is, thousands of people are suffering from financial, social and mental problems,” Tiwari says. “We fear that if the strict restrictions continue, many more could die from these restrictions than from the dreaded virus.”

Soon as it begins, even before the opening credits start on the screen, “Ava” gives the impression of a fancy Hollywood action-thriller. As our central character Ava Faulkner (Jessica Chastain) cruises the French countryside on a Land Rover, going to make a kill, we are given to believe we are watching a stylistically generic, fast-paced, femme fatale movie.

Ava Faulkner is a ruthless killer who works for an unnamed organization specializing in eliminating ‘targets’ sent to them. And by what we see, Ava is their best employee. Even her immediate boss Duke (John Malkovich) agrees. Stealthily, without blowing her cover, Ava has removed dozens of targets around the world, never getting caught.

But there’s evidently more to Ava than just a hired assassin. The movie tries to build its protagonist’s character and give us behind-the-scenes of a life mired in violence. Briefly, as the film progresses, it tricks us into believing that Ava is not just another femme fatale movie. We start thinking the film could be another female-centric heavyweight action thriller like “Salt” (2010) or “Lucy” (2016).

Unfortunately, the film, in trying to strike balance between action and drama, fails on both fronts. It is neither an out-and-out action film that you watch, enjoy and forget. Nor is it a gritty drama that you watch, enjoy and introspect. Ava swings like a pendulum between the two ends and never strikes the right time.

Writer Matthew Newton spent too much time layering Ava’s character, so much so other important characters like her boss Duke (Malkovich) and her colleague-turned-nemesis Simon (Colin Farrell) do not get nearly enough screen time. Without the backing of a good script and direction, it is disappointing to watch both these talented actors struggle to register their presence. Even Chastain in her lead role does not make much of an impact because of sloppy filmmaking.

To add to the drama, the filmmakers have us meet Ava’s estranged family in Boston, US, where she is confronted by her painful past. We see that Ava’s a recovering addict who had left home after family problems. As she goes back home following her father’s death, she has to try find closure with her sister Judy (Jess Weixler), mother Bobbi (Geena Davis), and ex-fiancé Michael (Common). Complications multiply as she finds out that Michael is now engaged to Judy. So the family drama takes some of the screen time but, again, with a weak script, the execution is sub-par.

The more we look at the cast in the film, the more we are disappointed with “Ava”. Lead actor Chastain makes up for many of the film’s flaws with her convincing portrayal of a disturbed assassin. But the rest of the cast does not even get an opportunity to exert their presence. Any film with Malkovich or Farrell has probably never been this disappointing. Director Tate Taylor, a-last minute replacement following a controversy (look it up!) could probably do no better with the script he got. Or maybe even he’s one of the culprits behind this disaster.

Who should watch it?

Not recommended for action-film connoisseurs. Frankly, we’ve seen better action sequences in low-budget non-Hollywood movies. But with no other interesting new Netflix releases, if you’ve really got nothing to do, you might as well spend around 90 minutes on it.

Genre: Action/Drama

Rating: 2 stars

Run time: 1hr 36mins

Actors: Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, John Malkovich

Director: Tate Taylor

Three young college graduates, all close friends, aspire to realize their ultimate dream in Bengaluru, India’s IT capital. Their dream mirrors that of thousands of other IT graduates in the Indian subcontinent—to launch their own startup and make it big.

So Kapil (Priyanshu Painyuli), Yash (Chandrachoor Rai) and Vinay (Shadab Kamal) compete hard against other techies like themselves to sell their ideas and get funds to start their company. Among the three, Kapil seems the most motivated, coming up with ideas for apps that are sometime as absurd as putting wi-fi enabled transmitters on underwear so that they’re not lost. Even with their goals set, the boys from middle-class families also work as employees in tech companies for a living.

Then, one day, while volunteering in rural Karnataka, Kapil sees a person die before him for lack of a life-saving injection that is otherwise easily available in cities. That gives him an idea for a startup. With both Yash and Vinay’s support on this one, the trio start a company called CarryKaro, which is supposed to work like an aggregator for medicinal supplies in rural areas, using commuters to the areas as carriers. In short, CarryKaro is to be an “Uber for medicines.”

They start well but soon run out of cash. Enter a rich heir, Veer Diwan (Rajeev Siddhartha), with a major investment. But the trouble is only just starting. As the company gets bigger, so do differences between the friends, resulting in many arguments and separations. How these young techies deal with their sudden success and the sheer brutality of corporate world is what the movie “Upstarts” is all about.

Released in October 2019, Upstarts is a low-budget Hindi-language movie that takes the audience behind-the-scenes of the tech world. With a cast of new comers and lesser-known faces, the film portrays the hardships behind technological advances we see and also celebrates the number of startups that fail.

Directed by Udai Singh Pawar, the independent film is not commercialized to suit Bollywood audiences though. Upstarts rather takes a more realistic approach in dealing with the subject and maintains its integrity as a serious, non-nonsense film throughout.

As much as it's a work of fiction, Upstarts is based on a storyline that could well be a true story out of Bengaluru, or any other up-and-coming city in the world. What is also interesting is that the writers include industry jargons and financial explanations that give the audience a bit of education along with entertainment.

Even with its less-experienced cast and no ‘star power’ to drive it, the film does not feel amateurish at any point. The actors seem to follow the script by the book and overall filmmaking appears perfect for a Netflix release.

Had the film not been a grueling 1hr 52mins long, the viewing would have been that much better. We appreciate that the film does not get too fictional or melodramatic or masala-laced but without Bollywood’s filmy elements, the feature length feels a little too long.

Who should watch it?

Even if it is not that popular or commercially successful, Upstarts can be an inspiring film for young entrepreneurs or IT students. For the rest, the story of struggles, successes and failures is also definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 3 stars

Genre: Drama

Cast: Priyanshu Painyuli, Chandrachoor Rai, Shadab Kamal

Director: Udai Singh Pawar

Run time: 1hr 52mins

“Does anyone know if the odd/even rule is still applicable?”

“How strict is the traffic checking for the odd/even rule in Kathmandu?”
“The odd/even system has no meaning when everything else is open in the city.”

“There was no checking yesterday so I took out my bike today. But the traffic police caught me.   This is so unfair.”

“How long do you think the odd/even system will be enforced? We’re having so much problems with conveyance every day.”

If you are a regular social media user, you might have read one or more of these complaints. Ever since Nepal ended its first lockdown in the third week of July, a vehicle rationing system had been in force in Kathmandu valley, home to one-thirds of vehicles registered in the country. (There are roughly above 1.1 million vehicles in the valley).

The vehicles with odd or even numbers are allowed on the streets corresponding to the Nepali dates: odd numbers on odd dates and even numbers on even dates. The rule exempts vehicles used for emergency services and transport of food and essentials.

This odd/even system was one of many measures the government introduced for the management of Covid-19 pandemic in Nepal. And like most of its efforts, this rule has also not gone down well with common folks. Especially with the economy only just starting to come back to life, the consensus on the odd/even system is negative. After coming across multiple social media posts bashing this system and then talking to people directly affected by this rule, we can say most of them reckon this rule is unnecessary, irrational, and even counterproductive.

Odd rule

“Time for odd even rule to go… we cannot resume economy without proper mobility,” Rohit Marwadi, a young businessperson, recently posted on his Facebook page. In a further conversation with Marwadi, he revealed how the odd/even system has hampered his business and raised operating costs.

“I am into churpi production and sales. Constant travel around the city is a must for us,” Marwadi says. “As our mobility has become limited due to this odd/even rule, we’ve had transport troubles and our operating costs have soared.”

Marwadi has given his motorcycle to one of his staffs so that they have bikes with both odd and even plates. He himself uses ride-sharing services to go to work. His other staff have also been managing accordingly, he says.

“More than myself or my business, I am more worried about those forced to use public transport or pay comparatively more than usual fares for ride sharing services and taxis, which they might not be able to do,” Marwadi says.

Like Marwadi, most people are unaware of how the odd/even rule is helping fight Covid-19. It has reduced traffic to an extent in all three cities of Kathmandu valley, but its direct impact on infection-reduction is unproven. Nor has the government published any findings that show the effectiveness of the odd/even system in breaking the infection chain.

“Public compliance works more than any of these rules,” says infection prevention specialist Manish Basistha. “Even if there are 10 people out there, and all of them comply with safety measures, the disease-spread is minimal. But even if there are only five people and none of them are compliant, the risk increases disproportionally.” So the number of people going to work or out there in the public does not matter so long as they are compliant with healthcare protocols. In short, Basistha believes the odd/even system is neither effective nor necessary, especially with people openly flouting basic protocols on public transport and public places.

Tricked by your brain?

Even the spokesperson for the Metropolitan Traffic Police Department, SP Rameshwar Prasad Yadav, does not sound confident about the effectiveness of the vehicle rationing system in decreasing Covid-19 transmissions. “The basic idea is to reduce crowds in public areas. This is why the government wanted us to implement the odd/even system,” says Yadav as he tries to explain that the traffic police is only doing its part. “It is not our decision anyway. We only do as instructed.”

As for alleged irregularities in traffic checking for odd/even compliance, Yadav claims it is deliberate. The traffic police relocate their checkpoints frequently so that people do not find a way around them. Also, during rush hours, the checkpoints might be relocated to avoid congestions in busy areas. “It’s also human psychology. People who get caught think the checking is strict but people who don’t get caught think there’s no checking at all.”

But the fact is, Yadav clarifies, 44 units of traffic police are deployed at 137 different places in the Valley and around 1,000-1,200 vehicles are stopped for non-compliance every day. Some of them are let go with a warning while others are penalized, depending on the situation.

Asked if it is wise to force people who own vehicles into public transport, Yadav replies that the odd-even rule has been imposed for the greater good. “Only around 10 percent of people own vehicles in the valley. This system is for the rest,” Yadav says. “And since we are doing this to control infection, we also request the people to comply. Please do not go out unless absolutely necessary.”

No lockdown plans

Janak Raj Dahal, CDO of Kathmandu district, has the same request. The vehicle rationing system has been introduced to cut public mobility but it can work only if the public complies. “People need to share at least half the responsibility at a difficult time like this,” Dahal says. “We are not enforcing these measures just to harass the public. It is for their own good.”

On the effectiveness of the rationing system, Dahal claims that despite constant complains and negative public perception, the odd/even rule has helped manage traffic and control unnecessary movement in the valley. He is aware of the problems surrounding rule enforcement and the inconvenience for vehicle owners but the priority right now is Covid-19 management, he explains.

Based on our conversations with government officials, it is safe to assume that the vehicle rationing system will be in place for a few more months.

Another general concern—the lockdown—is also not on the cards, unlike what has been rumored, government officials explained. “We have not been informed about a third lockdown yet,” Dahal says. “There has as yet been no discussion on this in the District Disaster Management Committee, so the possibilities are slim.”

On contacting the Home Ministry about the vehicle rationing system and the rumored lockdown, joint secretary and ministry spokesperson Chakra Bahadur Budha dismissed the concerns, saying the rationing system was the CDO’s call and the home ministry had nothing to do with it. On the lockdown, Budha blamed the media for spreading rumors and creating unnecessary panic.

Indian filmmaker Anurag Basu tries to pull off a Quentin Tarantino in his latest film “Ludo”. He co-produces, co-cinematographs, writes and directs an ensemble cast, and plays a prominent cameo. Also in the blueprint of Tarantino movies, Ludo has a nonlinear storyline, aestheticizes violence, and has a soundtrack that is a mixtape of various genres—with a classic Bollywood song repeatedly used as motif—and sheer unpredictability.

But is Ludo going to be a cult classic like “Pulp Fiction” or “Jackie Brown”? Only time will tell. The response so far has been promising for this toned-down action, crime-comedy movie.

As in a game of Ludo—a variant of Pachisi that originated in India—the movie Ludo has four different players. Akash Chauhan (Aditya Roy Kapur) apparently has a PhD in Arts but works as a small-time voice-over artist and ventriloquist. One day, he finds there’s a sex video of him circulating on the internet. His partner in the video, Shruti Choksi (Sanya Malhotra), is about to get married to someone else. Akash sets out to make it right to save Shruti’s marriage.

Alok Kumar “Alu” Gupta (Rajkummar Rao) is a conman turned dhaba-owner who’s still in love with his childhood crush Pinky Jain (Fatima Sana Shaikh). But for Pinky, he’s just a friend who helps her whenever she is in trouble. Pinky is married and has a child with Manohar (Paritosh Tripathi). When Manohar is taken into custody as a murder-accused, Pinky asks Alok for help again. And again, Alok decides to get her out of trouble, even at the cost of losing everything he owns.

Then there is Batukeshwar “Bittu” Tiwari (Abhishek Bachchan) who’s just out of the slammer after serving a six-year attempt-to-murder sentence and wants to get back to normal life with his wife Asha (Asha Negi) and daughter Ruhi. The fourth player, or players, are salesboy Rahul Awasthi (Rohit Suresh Saraf) and nurse Sheeja Thomas (Pearle Maaney)—two strangers who by chance come across a million-rupee in cash and become partners in crime.

All four players in Ludo get entangled with each other and are moved around by Rahul Satyendra “Sattu Bhaiya” Tripathi (Pankaj Tripathi) who seems to be the metaphorical dice in the movie. Had Anurag Basu stuck to the four players and their interactions with each other, all being dominated by how the dice (Saatu Bhaiya) rolls, the movie would have had a faster pace and steadier momentum. But Basu spoils his own broth with too many sub-plots that make Ludo seem more like snakes and ladders. The movie’s length of 2hrs 29mins also gets lousy at times, only proving that Mr Basu is no Tarantino—not yet. 

Otherwise, everything else about the movie exudes brilliance. Acting is almost flawless, probably because of the cast of talented actors, and because individual screen time is too short for the characters to goof up. The script, despite indulging in multiple storylines, is nonetheless intact till the end where the climax waits with a few surprises and a revelation.

But if anything needs to be applauded, it has to be the cinematography. Basu, with fellow cinematographer Rajesh Shukla, creates magical moments with camerawork and lighting. The colors of Ludo board game are carefully assigned to Akash (yellow), Alok (green), Bittu (red) and Rahul-Sheeja (yellow). These color schemes appear onscreen whenever the respective characters are showcased, sometimes subtly and sometimes very noticeably. Camera angles and lighting set an uncanny mood, again mimicking Tarantino style.

Who should watch it?

Ludo is one of the best new releases on Netflix in the past few months, so why not? Especially, if you watched the recent disaster called Laxmii (Bomb). You definitely need to watch Ludo to get you out of coma.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Action/comedy

Director: Anurag Basu

Actors: Rajkummar Rao, Rohit Suresh Saraf, Sheeja Thomas, Abhishek Bachchan, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi

Run time: 2hrs 29mins