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YouTube time this week, and I wanted to check out films I had missed watching in recent years that were officially available on the app. After trying a couple of Nepali movies and barely making it through more than 45-minute each, I gave up and searched for some Bollywood flicks, expecting to find something that’d delight me.

I came across the trailer for the 2016 Bollywood thriller “Madaari” and the first few scenes with the late Irrfan Khan delivering massive punchlines blew me over. I had to find the movie online, which I luckily did on Cinekorn Movie’s YouTube channel.

Madaari is a movie cliché: a story about a common man fighting the system as we’ve seen in hundreds of films. But its protagonist Nirmal Kumar (Khan) is the anti-hero we all want to be. He is not this larger-than-life fighter who literally punches his way through the walls of social injustice or the trigger-friendly vigilante who blows up ‘villains’. Kumar is a common man who is wronged by the system and instead of accepting it as his fate he plans to fight against it. He is determined, yet scared; calculative yet vulnerable.

Rohan (Vishesh Bansal), the only son of Home Minister Prashant Goswami (Tushar Dalvi), gets kidnapped from his hostel one day. Following the high-profile kidnapping, there’s a storm of investigations all over the city, led by CBI officer Nachiket Verma (Jimmy Sheirgill). The kidnapper has vanished without a trace with Rohan and the only ransom he demands is that the government finds the whereabouts of his son, who was lost in an act of government negligence. Our protagonist Nirmal is the kidnapper here and as the story unfolds, the audience realizes what made him turn from a loving family man to a ruthless kidnapper.

This is the story of Madaari written by Shailja Kejriwal and Ritesh Shah (screenplay/dialogue). The writers have taken a cliché and weaved the narration with suspense, mystery, and a lot of emotion. Kumar’s fight becomes every common person’s and the fact that he is a kidnapper (sic criminal) is lost as we empathize with him and want to see him get justice. But what happens, in the end, is for you to find out.

The year 2016 saw the release of ‘blockbusters’ like “Sultan” and “Dangal”. Understandable why a film like Madaari would have been neglected by Bollywood audiences and the critics alike at the time. Still, one can’t feel sorry for how such a gripping thriller remains obscure. Maybe because it does not appeal to the larger masses without high-flying action sequences and peppy item numbers.

Also, the film’s not perfect. There are a few lapses in the screenplay and the 2h 13mins-long film tends to lose pace at times, but the better parts make up for everything. Nishikant Kamat’s direction seems to bring out the best in Irrfan Khan, who embodies the soul of his character. Even the film’s dialogues with heavy punchlines feel tailored for Khan’s voice. Khan expresses every word with the conviction of an everyday man the system has driven to desperation.

In the scenes with Rohan, his victim Nirmal never bears the maliciousness of a kidnapper. He is still a harmless, caring father desperately seeking closure. The complexities in Nirmal’s life and how well Khan peels each layer of his character’s existence drive the film. The supporting cast also comes with its share of convincing performances but Khan is the film’s heart and soul. 

Who should watch it?

Most film lovers who like my selection of films have probably already watched Madaari. This is the kind of film you can revisit every few years. If you haven’t watched, you’ve missed an important film that defines the career of late Khan. Khan, in this movie, reinforces his legacy and goes on to prove no one else can replace him in the industry. His flawless performance in this film will make you miss him even more.

Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Drama, thriller
Actors: Irrfan Khan, Tushar Dalvi, Jimmy Sheirgill
Director: Nishikant Kamat
Run time: 2hrs 13 mins

There are books that make you cry ugly tears. You have to sometimes put them down and actually walk away because you need time to recover. But you can’t do that with Suleika Jaouad’s ‘Between Two Kingdoms’ because hers is a story that’s heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. You want to keep reading, though your eyes are glazed with tears and your heart shatters every now and then.

Jaouad was 22 when she was diagnosed with a rare form of acute myeloid leukemia and given a 35 percent chance of survival. Over the next four years, she went through rigorous chemotherapy, became a part of a clinical trial, and finally underwent a bone-marrow transplant that left her weak and heavily dependent on her caregivers—her parents and then-boyfriend she refers to as Will.

What makes this book different from other cancer memoirs I have read is that Jaouad doesn’t just share her experiences. Instead, she tells you what was going on in her mind while dealing with such a traumatic event, and that too when her friends were kick-starting their careers, traveling the world or settling down. It’s not about the event as much as it’s about her reaction to it.

As cancer ravaged her body, Jaouad’s spirit got stronger. She knew she might not make it but she would find little things to keep her going. One of them was the 100-day project. She decided she would write in her journal every single day, even when she couldn’t sit up. She had been considering a career as a war correspondent before cancer (B.C as she puts it) so writing was always something she enjoyed. She proposed to write a series of blog posts for The New York Times. Her column, ‘Life, Interrupted’ got her a steady fan-following and responses from other people who were going through difficult times themselves.

In Between Two Kingdoms, Jaouad hasn’t tried to present in a way to make you sympathize with her. She is selfish, needy, and even mean to those she loves. She breaks things in anger, says unspeakable things to her boyfriend when she knows he has always put her needs before his. She doesn’t sugarcoat her flaws and uses cancer as an excuse for her horrid behavior.

I would have probably given it a five-star rating had the book not felt a bit stretched in the end—where Jaouad embarks on a road trip with her dog, meeting people who had written to her and helped her in some way or the other. That aside, Jaouad’s writing is stunning and her story can inspire us to try and do--and be--our best but not be too hard on ourselves when we can’t either. 

4 stars                                                              
Non-Fiction
Between Two Kingdoms
What Almost Dying Taught Me About Living
Suleika Jaouad
Published: 2021
Publisher: Bantam Press
Pages: 348, Paperback

I only have one rule in life. When a Dhanush film releases, I have to watch it first day, first show, especially when it is premiering globally on multiple digital platforms on the same day. I’m kidding. But I am 100 percent sure there are enough Dhanush fans around the world who follow the first-day-first-show rule, online or off. The South Indian movie star’s latest “Jagame Thandhiram” (transl. The Universe is a ruse) probably also got the same reception on its June 18 Netlfix release as it has been on ‘trending’ since. 

Written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj, the Tamil-language (also available in other Hindi languages) gangster movie draws a lot of inspiration from Hollywood while keeping the vibrancy of South Indian cinema alive. One of the biggest names from the South, with a string of successive hits under his belt, Dhanush delivers another power-packed performance in the lead role, maintaining the flawless consistency he’s had most of his career. 

Suruli (Dhanush), a small-time gangster and paratha chef from a small Tamil Nadu town, is headhunted by a London-based gang to work for them. Lured by the prospect of earning huge money and to escape some gang war-related problems at home, Suruli leaves for England to work under Peter Sprott (James Cosmo), a politically-connected gangster and white supremacist. 

Dhanush’s job there is to eliminate Peter’s arch-rival Sivadoss (Joju George), a Sri Lankan Tamilian gangster who is also the rescuer of illegal immigrants and refugees coming into London, something that Peter hates him most for. Suruli, with his ruthless cunning, manages to destroy Sivadoss’ gang and to have him killed at Peter’s hands. But Suruli also meets another Sri Lankan migrant Attilla (Aishwarya Lekshmi) and falls in love with her. As their lives intertwine, Suruli realizes he has chosen the wrong side and decides to make reparations.

Jagame Thandiram is fashioned like a Hollywood gangster epic. Its storyline, setting, the way it begins by introducing each of the main characters, feels like the film is mirroring an old-school gangster movie. The background scores, OSTs, and also the film’s length of 2h 37mins strengthen the similarities. But Jagame Thandiram is not a Hollywood film.

Right from the opening scenes, you know you are being taken into the Tamil Cinematic Universe where you expect a hero with all the swagger and jive in the world who is always a step ahead of the villain and who has a heart of gold despite being morally compromised. Suruli is that hero for you and Dhanush, with the immense talent he exfoliates, makes you live through the TCU without even realizing you are being shown an atrociously fictional sequence of events that disregard basic logic. But you don’t watch action movies for logic, do you?

Produced to be an all-out action film, Jagame Thandhiram’s story also has undertones of refugee issues and migrant crisis. Some flashbacks show the civil war in Sri Lanka and the exodus of Tamilians from the country to Europe in search of safety. But the filmmakers do not delve deeper as they probably wanted their content to be light enough for mass consumption. 

And mass appeal, Jagame Thandhiram does have, despite some major flaws in storytelling and the film’s unclear timeline. Dhanush is the biggest appeal but on the downside, as he outshines everyone else, any scene without him dips in energy. Dhanush is a fireball in Jagame Thandhiram and that’s both a curse and a boon for the movie. The film’s music and cinematography are the only elements that seem to match Dhanush’s energy and combined, their synergy just blows you away in some scenes. 

Who should watch it?

Jagame Thandhiram is exactly what had been missing from Netflix’s new releases section for some time. The film, as suggested above, attempts to put itself in the leagues of Hollywood gangster movies. Honestly, it falls way short. Still, the combination of Dhanush’s acting skills put to test in a film that almost entirely revolves around him, with brilliant cinematography and intense background music/OSTs, makes this film worth the time for movie lovers of all sorts. 

Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Action, drama
Actors: Dhanush, Joju George, James Cosmo
Director: Karthik Subbaraj 

Confession time: I’m smitten by Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’. Ever since I finished it, I’ve been dreaming about it (quite literally too—Dante made a guest appearance in my dream where my dad was trying to train our dog to do somersaults by doing it himself). The title initially felt like a mouthful but, after reading it, I realized it beautifully sums up the book’s essence. The cover is gorgeous too. 

It’s a YA novel but I believe it will resonate with readers of all generations. I wish I had read the book as I was growing up. It would have definitely broadened my then-narrow perspective on gender and relationships. I plan to reread it soon and see what nuances I might have missed in this beautiful coming-of-age story that is a though-provoking exploration of sexuality and identity.

The book is about two Latino boys, Aristotle or Ari and Dante, who first strike a friendship at the pool where Dante teaches Ari how to swim. The two lead different lives—Dante, the son of professors, is a confident boy while Ari is shy, comes from a modest background and has a brother in prison. Ari is an angry teen while Dante has an unusual way of looking at things. They seem to have nothing in common but surprisingly get along well.

The story is narrated by Ari and though his view colors the narrative, every other character still manages to shine through. Dante specially wins your heart with his charming ways. The family dynamics between the characters and their parents is engaging. There is also a strong sense of disavowal of toxic masculinity—Danta cries easily and doesn’t feel the need to express his dominance through violent acts. I feel there is a need to explore the vulnerable side of men in literature to reinforce the idea that strength has nothing to do with being unemotional and that emotionality is a feminine trait.

As the boys transition into young adults, Sáenz portrays different facets of growing up, focusing mainly on masculinity and the complicated, often warped, ways in which we start developing ourselves. The book also deals quite a bit with race, ethnicity, homophobia, and psychological trauma. Sáenz has been able to bring these elements together without anything feeling distorted and confusing the reader. It’s all seamless. Some chapters are long and some are short but each is impactful and crucial to the overall plot.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe doesn’t have plot twists and intense drama. The simplicity of the story is what makes it compelling. The story consumes you, and refuses to let go of its hold long after. It was the hopeful and uplifting read I needed during what felt like a desperate and bleak time. It was a soothing balm to my lockdown woes.

Five stars
YA Fiction
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Published: 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 359, Paperback