First Things First! Scam 2003 Is Not As Gripping As The Pratik Gandhi – Harshad Mehta Show: The Scam 1992. The Comparison May Not Be Completely Fair.
Scam 2003 Follows The Same Template: The Rags To Riches Story, Charismatic Protagonist, Mindless Ambition, Exploitation Of The Greed Of Corrupt Loopholes In The System.
Abdul Karim Telgi Is A Humble & Smart Fruit Seller From Karnataka. After A Short Stint In Gulf, The City Of Dreams Beckons Him And He Rises & Rises As The King Of Counterfeit Stamp Papers! During His Journey, He Either Wins Or Buys The People & System Around Him!
Scam 2003 Belongs To Gagan Dev Riar – His Charm Is Attractive – As Is His Metamorphosis Into A Menace. He Has Gotten Into The Skin As Well As The Mannerisms Of Telgi Impeccably. Even In Simple One Liners Or Complex Episodes, He Keeps You Hooked!
The Show Is Pale In Comparison To The Scam 1992. The Pace Is Slow, Screenplay Weak & The Drama Does Not Seem As Gripping As The Earlier Show. However, Only The First Five Episodes Of The Telgi Story Are Out. So Things May Change In The Second Serving!
Best Feature Film: Rocketry Best Director: Nikhil Mahajan, Godavari Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment: RRR
Best Actor: Allu Arjun, Pushpa Best Actress: Alia Bhatt, Gangubai Kathiawadi and Kriti Sanon, Mimi
Best Supporting Actor: Pankaj Tripathi, Mimi Best Supporting Actress: Pallavi Joshi, The Kashmir Files
Best Music Director (Songs): Devi Sri Prasad, Pushpa Best Music Direction (Background Music): MM Keeravaani, RRR Best Male Playback Singer: Kaala Bhairava, RRR Best Female Playback Singer: Shreya Ghoshal, Iravin Nizhal Best Lyrics: Chandrabose, Konda Polam’s Dham Dham Dham
Made In Heaven 2: Glam, Glitz & Grey – A Must Watch Iconoclastic Show !
Talk of the town! Solid writing, powerful performances, iconoclast acts, pastel weddings, designer clothes, beautiful brides, charming grooms, top notch production values – Made In Heaven Season 2 is a wonderful watch!
The template is simple: Each episode has a one or two weddings with an inherent issue or tension, ultra stylish weddings with magnificent clothes and uber themes and the ongoing life stories of ‘Made In Heaven’ wedding planning agency team members. Same sex coupling, Dalit wedding, Muslim wedding, Bollywood deal wedding, self wedding – all scenarios are covered to give the series a strong progressive and liberal credential! The beauty lies that these are not checklist issues, but many of them are handled with great nuance and sensitivity.
Shobhita continues her purple patch – taking her glam stylish svelte avatar of Kaveri (The Night Manager) to next level with more teeth, grit, vindictiveness and vulnerability. Impeccable is the word for Shobita! She is having a ball – “Money softens the blow! For the rest..there’s whisky”
Mona Singh’s Bulbul Johari is a stupendous act – the powerhouse performer unfolds her emotional journey as the series progresses. Whether asking the violence victim bride to stand up for herself or navigating the ‘locker room’ scandal of her teenage son, she is super impressive. She is a class apart! “Hearts of girls are won by respect and love, not force”.
Arjun Mathur is outstanding – he is messy, he is confused, he is fragile, he is choking, he is bottled up, he is struggling, he is guilty, he is victimised – touching portrayal of full range of emotions. His difficult relationship with mother, its impact on his psyche, his inability to open up to his partner, his mother’s death – highly moving! “Some of us are meant to travel alone!”
The biggest discovery and showstopper of the series is Trinetra Haldar – a doctor turned actor. The transwoman actor is exceptional – totally calm and poised as she steals the show playing herself! Full marks to the writers for giving a strong transgender character – a highest paid employee, totally accepted by parents. Trinetra’s Mehek deals with the shit with resilience, anchors her relationships with amazing maturity and loves having fun – “I want to go on a date, not give a TED talk!” I am sure we will see more of her in the days to come!
The show has a very impressive supporting cast – Kalki, Jim Sarbh, Vijay Raaz, Shashank Arora, Shivani Raghuvanshi. Vijay Raaz is a terrific as a feminist, not just a money bags. Watch him when he says – Dhindora pitiye!
The cameos are equally top notch – Fiery and nuclear Powered Radhika Apte, beautiful Mrunal Thakur, diva Dia Mirza, effervescent Sanjay Kapoor, classy Neelam Kothari, composed Samir Soni, charming Vikrant Massey, Neil, Imaad Shah and others!
Writers Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti and Alankrita Shrivastava have done a fabulous job by creating rich characters with strong arcs and given each character a distinct identity. Directors Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar have roped in Nitya Mehra, Alankrita Shrivastava, and Neeraj Ghaywan as directors
Faadu is a clutter breaking slow burn love story powered by exceptional performances of Saiyami Kher and Pavail Gulati.
When Ghalib Meets Gucci
When Bhutan Meets America
When Faiz Meets Ferrari
Faadu starts as a refreshing tale of opposites attract. Manjiri and Abhay comes from a completely different background. Ujjain descendant Abhay, his auto rickshaw driver father, ailing mother and alcoholic brother live in a Mumbai Ghetto where life is an endless struggle and everything claustrophobic. Manjiri hails from an idyllic village in Konkan Coast where her highly supportive poetry loving father has given her complete support and encouragement to fly in the open skies. Both meet, appreciate each other’s candour, fall in love and marry. So far so good.
However, ambitious Abhay is on a single minded mission to break the shackles of poverty and ensure a meteoric rise in the city of dreams. He makes questionable choices resulting into a troubled relationship with family and Manjiri. The journey of impatient Abhay overtakes the romance as he navigates different chapters of his hyper quick but grey growth.
Faadu is indeed a slow burn where Saiyami Kher shines. She is the moral compass and acts an anchor with brilliant clarity. She is the fountainhead of poetry, patience and simplicity. Pavail is equally strong and shows a great transformation. Great supporting cast as well.
Faadu slips in the second half and could have done with better editing. Though, its slow pace could appeal to a few sections. Excellent music and awesome cinematography.
