Blog Full - Ashok Karania

3 Aug 2024

Maharaja Review: Vijay Sethupathi’s Mind-Blowing Emotional Revenge Thriller

Vijay Sethupathi’s Delivers A Knockout Performance In His 50th Appearance

A bruised middle-aged father visits a police station and wants action against three criminals who stole his “Lakshmi” – a dustbin which has a special value in his life. As the movie progress, parallel tracks and juxtaposed scenes come together to reveal a shocking and heartbreaking climax.

Vijay Sethupathi’s masterclass acting is the highlight of the movie. He is truly the Maharaja of acting and it shows! Anurag Kashyap fails to leave a mark.

I loved the smart and intelligent use of metaphors – especially snake. While the climax is what has set everyone talking it was not unpredictable. Lots of scenes are rushed and engineered.

The director uses “shock and awe” technique. The truck crash, the snake, the non-linear narrative, multiple characters – all are designed to amplify the mystery and engage the audience.

Maharaja is essentially a father daughter story showcasing the law of karma at work. Packaged emotionally and symbolically designed to leave a strong impact! Worth a watch!

28 Jul 2024

Kalki 2898 AD: Actor Amitabh Aces In Hollywood Challenging Visual Extravaganza

An Epic Story Meets Futuristic SciFi To Create Dystopian World

A Mesmerizing Grand Spectacle Meets Hollywood Vision & Scale

A Pack Of Legendary Actors Showcasing Their Best Craft

Kalki Is An Indian Triumph – Creating A Deeply Cultural Mythological Art With World-Beating Best In Class Production Values!

A Feast For Eyes That Could Have Been A Feast For Soul – But That’s A Debate Worth Having Over Ginger Enhanced Strong Tea!

The Modern Avatar Of Lord Vishnu Is To Be Born In The Post Apocalyptic World In Year 2898 AD – 6000 Years After Kurukshetra War. Th Evil Forces Are At Is Peak Through Totalitarian Supreme Yaskin & His Team’s Devil Designs & Actions. Kashi Is The Last Surviving City & Yaskin Is Driving A Secret Project K. Rebels Attempt To Save The World From Their Multi-Race Multi-Cultural Multi-Religious Place Shambala.

Amitabh Bachchan Is The Powerhouse Who Carries The Movie With An Acting Masterclass – Living The Character In Totally Engaging Manner! Prabhas Continues To Underwhelm & Is Victim Of Poor Scripting. Kamal Hassan Is Introduced Strongly & Impactfully But He Has Limited Presence.

Much Like History, Women In Kalki Have Very Marginal Role. Deepika Is A Guinea Pig Whose Sole Purpose To Give Birth. Disha Patani Does What She Does Best In Her Instagram Post – Exhibiting Her Curvy Toned Sculpture. Mrunal Thakur & Shobhana Have Small Roles While Dulquer Salman, Vijay Deverakonda Ram Gopal Varma & S S Rajamouli Star With Their Cameo Presence!

Long After The Credits Roll, The Lasting Feelings Of Mind-blowing VFX, Mahabharata Meets Hollywood Scale & Grandeur Will Remain. The Screenplay & Editing Are Very Weak With So Musical Notes That Strike A Chord. Hats To Off Production Team, Cinematographer & Of Course Director Nag Ashwin.

When A Midnight Show On Day 30 Is Housefull – The Movie Is Universally Accepted. By The Time You Read This, It Would Have Overtaken Jawan To Become The Biggest Movie!

Kalki 2898 AD – A Cinematic Experience To Watch On Big Screens Only!

23 Jul 2024

AI Business Pitches Of Young Zebar Prodigies

The future is bright!

The future is all-right!

When the young talented minds talk GenAI Business and present pitch decks its indeed heartening and happening!

When the prodigies leverage Artificial Intelligence to address India’s ground challenges, Viksit Bharat (Developed India) is inevitable!

Happy and honoured to interact with the brilliant and smart young students of Zebar School for Children. AI Summer Internship students showcased their unique and innovative AI-based business ideas. Each one was full of promise – waiting for some to actualise real soon!

Cheers to Zebar School for providing the futuristic exposure to students and giving him an early advantage. Applause for Executive Director Mr Manan Gautam Choksi and Principal Ms Sharmistha Sinha. Special mention to BehaveNeu Team’s Mr Shyam Parmar and Mr Neel Patel for working with the kids throughout the internship and mentoring them on technology and life skills – this goes a long way!

Apart from the great learning experience, it was wonderful to interact with UNESCO’s Ms Meenakshi Shear and NID Business Incubator NDBI CEO Mr Amit Jain

#zebar #zebarschool #ai #genAI #artificialintelligence #startups #innovation #behaveneu #unesco #NID

14 Jul 2024

Kakuda Review: Fresh Fun Folklore Gives Frail Fear

The horror comedy’s premise is refreshing and interesting: Every Tuesday evening at the designated time, the small door next to the main door needs to be opened by a family male, else the devilish mythical ‘Kakuda’ would strike. The victim would develop a hump and the person dies within 13 days.

A newly wed couple Sonakshi and Saqib get entangled in the Kakuda folklore when the groom is late to open the door and he is marked for death. Riteish is the ghost hunter, who comes to their rescue and helps to set the house in order.

The film has a great cast, strong performances and nice comic timing but it fails to make an impact due to weak ghost, half baked plot and hurried ending! Riteish is impressive with excellent acts by Saqib Salem and Sonakshi.

A nice fun one time watch – Not in the class Stree!

Disclaimer: The movie was shot at the family establishment of the reviewer.