Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain, Review: Show me that you love me

Delhi-born director Harish Vyas makes his Hindi film debut with an adult love story set in Varanasi where the only thing adult about the theme is the fact that the lead actors are husband and wife and gave a grown-up daughter. In fact, the issue it addresses till three quarters of the film has rolled by is the lack of demonstrative love between a conscientious postal clerk and his devoted wife. Enough to keep you curious and sensitised for 108 minutes? No, not enough.

Set in the land of Ganges-Varanasi (Banaras; the ghats), Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain derives its name from the first line of a song written by Majrooh Sultanpuri for an early 80s film. It is an all-time hit number and the second half of the line goes, ‘Ke I love you’.  That part is really the operative premise of the story: Notice the love emanating from your partner/spouse, say that you love each other and do not feel awkward at public displays of affection (PDA). The last might not come easily in Indian small towns like Varanasi, and the film works towards this end.

Everything seems to be going well for Yashwant Batra (Sanjay Mishra)—a pot-bellied government servant who has a submissive wife, Kiran (Ekavali Khanna), and a rebellious daughter, Preeti (Shivani Raghuvanshi)—but there is a strong aura of disappointment and years of pent up frustration that looms over the Batra household. Both the women of the house desire to be loved and treated as equals, but the patriarch demands his wife stays in the kitchen, and daughter marries the groom of his choice, and not her neighbourhood lover, Jugnu (Anshuman Jha). What makes things worse is the fact that Kiran comes from a rich family, and they rub this in every time they meet Yashwant.

Yashwant leads a dull and drab existence, where his daily fix of alcohol and occasional chicken are the only sources of solace. Two events are going to change his life forever: Preeti is going to marry Jugnu secretly and Preeti’s family is going to humiliate Yashwant once too often. He decides that will now live alone. Preeti has left for her in-laws’ place (next-door, but nevertheless another house) and he tells Kiran to move out to her parental home.

Director Harish Vyas has penned the story and collaborated o the screenplay with another debutant, Aryan Saha. As stories go, Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain is wafer thin. Several films of the period 1950-70, especially those that were made by studios in Madras (now Chennai) repeatedly highlighted the rich-poor divide in similar manner. The other parallel track, that takes over the class conflict, is the ‘If you love her, tell her’ constituent. It’s a nice line and a noble thought, though definitely not great cinema. There are very few plot points, the attitude of Yashwant appears illogical and his behavior contrived. When the story is about a simplistic truism, you need a solid screenplay to carry it through.

Jugnu’s father is painted as a crank who gifts you anything of his if you praise it. He also does not look convincing as a fitness buff and the owner of multi-lingual teaching classes. There is a long scene where Yashwant comes to the classes, planning to give a rose and a card to Kiran, and things get messed up. Here was a good thing going, which the makers extended beyond tolerance limits. Advising Yashwant on how to win over his wife, the neighbor suggests he imitate Indian superstar ShahRukh Khan, and stutter, “Kkkkkk….iran”, because SRK had done it in an iconic film twenty-five years ago. Instead of sounding funny, the scene trivialises Yashwant’s pain. In another unrelated scene, a man called Feroz (Pankaj Tripathi) goes into his kitchen and emerges with two cups of coffee in five seconds flat. By the way, angle of a love marriage between a Muslim man and a Hindu girl is well-written and heart rending. But even here, Feroz’s desperation in getting medi-claim and his demeanour as a Muslim are not well delineated.

Sanjay Mishra (Saathiya, Golmaal: Fun Unlimited, Journey Bombay to Goa: Laughter Unlimited) is an immensely talented actor who has been tasked to manufacture the drama, and he does not seem too comfortable doing so. Pankaj Tripathi (Bareilly Ki Barfi, Gurgaon, Newton) adopts a natural approach even as the empathy he generates elevates his performance. Shivani Raghuvanshi (Titli) is bubbly and intense, as required, and gets noticed. Ekavali Khanna (Chaplin, Bollywood Diaries, Bioscopewala) fits into the ‘domestic drudgery with a smile’ mould. She needs to work on her clipped and sibilant tones, though, as they tend to push her out of character. Brijendra Kala (Haasil, Jab We Met, Paan Singh Tomar) is cast as the language institute owner and persona has been described above. Add to that, slurring of speech, which is an impediment in this role. Adequate support comes from Imran Zahid, Teji Sandhu and Ipshita Chakroberty.

Music, for once in a long time, is an essential and integral part of the film. The credits read Mohit Chauhan (playback singer), Hazrat Ameer Khusro (lyricist), Pradeep Sharma ‘Khusro’ (lyrics), Pravin Kunwar (musical director), Pravin Kunwar (composer: theme music), Pushplata (playback singer), Shaan (playback singer), Pratibha Tiku Sharma (lyrics), Yogesh(lyrics). Now for those who are ignorant about Hazrat Ameer Khusro, he is not a lyricist but a sufi poet-music composer and musician, who wrote in Hindvi as well as Farsee (Persian). An overwhelming number of his compositions have been used in Hindi-Urdu films, although he died some 700 years ago.

Which brings us to Pradeep Sharma ‘Khusro’. No, no, no…he’s no descendent. But he is a fanatic fan and has appropriated the ‘taqhallus’ (nom de plume/pen name). With 375 books, and 55 digitised images of rare paintings of Khusro, he keeps virtually anything with Khusro on it or in it. And there's more. He holds 2000 released and un-released audio-video records (gramophone records, DVDs, cassettes and documentaries) of Khusro’s songs, ‘bandishes’ and ‘ragas’. (Info might need updating)! Lastly, Yogesh. Lucknow-born Yogesh Gaur is a veteran film lyricist who started writing on the early 1960s. Among his popular numbers are songs from Mili, Chhotisi Baat, Anand and the 1995 vehicle, Bewafa Sanam. Not much has been heard about him in the last two decades, so it is nice to see him resurface at the age of 75.

Sanjay Mishra is also the narrator of the film. Firstly, it did not need a narrator. Secondly, if it was felt necessary, another voice would have been more appropriate. And that does not mean even for a second that Sanjay has done a bad job.

Rating: **

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPyacblXX9s

High Jack, Review: Hitting a new low

Several theories come up when you try and analyse what went wrong with a potentially high scoring black comedy. Firstly, it seems to be incomplete, with large chunks either not written at all or left out on the editing table. The second possibility is that the censor board did not take too kindly to a stoner subject and chopped out major scenes. It is also possible that the production worked with a skeletal script and tried to improvise as they went along, but the team went on tangential paths, resulting in a big hotchpotch. Lastly--and I sincerely hope this is not true—one or more of the High Jack creative team decided to experiment with substances stronger than the stuff former cricketer Rahul Dravid warns us about before the screening of any film in India.

Rakesh, an out of luck DJ who goes by the cool name of Rock-esh, has just found out that the gig he was to perform in Goa, has been cancelled. He is in urgent need of money to save his doctor Dad’s clinic from loan-sharks, and the gig would have paid him Rs. 2 lakh, but he now finds himself broke. A pub owner puts him on to an African drug-peddler named ‘Albela’, and, in desperation, he agrees to carry a ‘packet’ on his flight to Delhi. Albela deposits Rs. 2 lakh as advance into his account and promises to pay another Rs 2 lakh on delivery. Rakesh sees the check-in counter girl crying and asks her what the problem is. She replies that the airline, Udaan Air, is shutting down, and this is the last flight it is operating. The future of the employees is now uncertain. Rakesh moves on to board the aircraft. He doesn’t realise what’s in the packet, and manages to pass security and customs without a hitch.

A bunch of four devastated employees of Udaan (‘udaan’ means flight) Air decide to hijack its last flight, in a bid to recover pending dues by stealing the box of gold hidden in the cargo by the owner. This the very flight Rakesh is travelling on. With him are flying a bunch of interesting and some weird passengers. The hijackers are armed but obvious amateurs. Things take a funny turn when people on the flight accidentally get high on the dope that Rakesh mixes in the water, including the hijackers. Their leader knocks out one pilot and asks the lady co-pilot to take the plane to Kochi in Kerala. Back in Goa, the owner of the airline is told about the hijack and panics, because the gold is unaccounted, and he could now be exposed. But he is a shrewd operator, and has a Plan B in place: a crack mercenary is on board, in disguise, to guard his caché.

Interesting stuff, when you read. The story thread, credited to Adhir Bhat is no doubt exciting. But the major credit for writing, and the sole credit for direction, is the domain of Akarsh Khurana. Khurana has earlier written some much talked-about screenplays. All his experience comes up for questioning, when he delivers a bumpy ride like High Jack.

Hollywood has its own models of aeroplane comedies. In comparison, the screenplay here fills the story with too many characters and most of them remain mere fillers. Developments range from a handful logical actions-reactions to ludicrous and totally incredible. A woman who is travelling with a young child who is crying loudly demands Rs. 3,000 from a hijacker to move to a back seat, because she says she paid Rs. 3,000 extra for the seat of her choice, and he obliges.

Besides drugs, a bunch of other issues surface. Sexist exchanges take place between the Chief Hijacker and the female co-pilot. A cabin crew named Amanda, who is most certainly a man in drag, is the butt of snide comments about gays. A passenger tells his wife off when she orders Chicken Lahori, Lahore being in enemy territory—Pakistan. The same man then brainwashes a match-fixing cricketer to pick up a gun and shoot the Chief hijacker, thereby compensating for his corruption as a cricketer. Among the funny moments are the lament of an Arab passenger that the four Udaan employees who carried out hijacking beat him to it and the breaking into a bhajan of an old lady, which is carried on the public address system. It is initially amusing to see an old lady getting close to Rakesh after he spikes her drink, but Khurana decides to beat it to death, with Rakesh constantly complaining of being touched “inappropriately”.

The entire shooting team of the film kept travelling to new cities and the journey included three days in Aurangabad, three days in Mumbai, three days in Gujarat and 20 days in Delhi. The film also shot in Madh Island, a Mumbai suburb, for four days. That must have been the climax. All this adds up to 33 days. I am sure had the team introspected for 16 ½ days as well, we would have had a much smoother flight.

Sumeet Vyas (Aakarshan, English Vinglish, Parched) as Rakesh ‘DJ Rock-esh’ looks stoned most of the time. Just when he strikes a normal pose, somebody tells him to get back into character, or so I presume. The Khurana-Vyas duo had previously worked in TVF web series Tripling, Permanent Room-mates, and are collaborating again for Tripling 2. Having known each other for ten years, they should have known better. Mantra (former radio jockey with Radio Mirchi, Puranjit Dasgupta in real life; Tum Mile, Game, Bheja Fry 2, Hum Tum Shabana) as Vinit, the Chief of security at Udaan Air and the Chief hijacker shows good potential but is saddled with repetitive, inane dialogue.

Sonnalli Seygall (Pyaar Ka Punchnama 1 and 2, Wedding Pullav) as Dilshaad, the co-pilot, looks the part. She is made to convey that she is constantly up to something, but she never is. Kumud Mishra (Jolly LLB 2, Rustom, Sultan) as Mr. Taneja, the man who is involved in almost everything that happens, tries to pass of all his antics as jokes, most of which convince nobody. Shiv Kumar Subramaniam (Stanley ka Dabba, 2 States, Bangistan) plays the airline owner and his character might have been inspired by Vijay Mallya, a real-life airline owner whose Kingfisher airlines went bust a few years ago. Natasha Rastogi (Talvar, Jigariyaa, Amit Sahni Ki List) as Mrs. Taneja, the Aunty who eats Lahori Chicken, touches inappropriately and sings a bhajan, enjoys herself uninhibitedly.

Taaruk Raina as Parth, the nerd who sticks to Rakesh like a leech, is silly yet endearing. Priyanshu Painyuli as Chaitanya, a tainted cricketer is made to overact. In support, we have Nipun Dharmadhikari, Ashar Khurana, Sarthak Kakkar, Muzammil Qureshi, Sarang Sathye and Radhika Bangia,

Why would such acclaimed producer-directors as Vikramaditya Motwane and Vikas Bahl want to back projects like High Jack only the two gentlemen would know, in their wisdom?

Incidentally, we read that before settling for High Jack, these two titles were in contention: High on a Plane and Ud Gaye Tote (literally meaning the parrots flew away, but the use is idiomatic). Should they have considered: Hi, jacked! and Rote Tote (crying parrots) too?

High Jack’s release was delayed for four weeks reportedly by the censors. Wish Uddan Air’s final flight had been hijacked by the Arab and the peddler named Albela (!). Maybe they would know their job! How about a double hijack, with the Udaan Air nincompoops on one side and the black Arab-black African Albela AA combine on the other? That would be some black comedy.

Rating: * ½

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IYNmenNBoc

Book Club, Review: Life begins at sexty

With a combined age of 563 and an average age of 70.4, there’s no way these eight fuddy-duddies are going to do a Fifty Shades of Grey. Well, they did set out to go along that road, but never mind—how about ‘hundred hues of shocking pink’? Just for the record, Fifty Shades of Grey is a 2015 American erotic drama film, directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, with a screenplay by Kelly Marcel. It was banned in India, for its explicit sex scenes. Two more Grey films have since been made. Though Book Club is inspired by its Grey predecessors, on the censorship front, there is just that likelihood that it might be restricted to audiences... above 60 years of age.

Four successful women in their sixties--Diane (Diane Keaton), Vivian (Jane Fonda), Sharon (Candice Bergen) and Carol (Mary Steenburgen)--each have something in her life that she needs to set right. Vivian is a wealthy hotel magnate who has been ignoring love for most of her life, settling instead for flings. Sharon (Candice Bergen), a Supreme Court justice, still hasn’t gotten over her divorce and hates the fact that her ex-husband is dating a woman young enough to be his (grand?) daughter. Carol (Mary Steenburgen) is married, but her husband shows no interest in her. Diane (Diane Keaton) is a widow whose grown daughters treat her like a child.

Having read the book Wild the month before, but feeling unable to relate to it, Vivian decides to introduce the other three women to Christian Grey--the handsome title character of the bestselling novel, Fifty Shades of Grey. The other women protest her choice at first, but soon each one is captivated by the story. But who are these women of sextance?

Diane (Diane Keaton) is recently widowed, after 40 years of marriage and has two daughters. Vivian (Jane Fonda) is a hotelier, single and enjoys her men, with no strings attached, although there is a man from her past who is about to make a re-entry. Sharon (Candice Bergen) is a judge, still working through her decades-old divorce, while her husband and son are about to throw a double bill engagement party. Carol (Mary Steenburgen)’s marriage is in a slump after 35 years, with her husband becoming grumpy and disinterested in sex while fascinated by his antique motorcycle. The lives of these four lifelong friends are turned upside down after reading the book, which catapults them into a series of outrageous life choices. Viewing it as a wake-up call, they decide to ‘expand’ their lives and chase pleasures that have eluded them. And guess what? They have the Internet and Viagra as tools of the trade. Neither option was available 50 years ago.

The film is written by the team Bill Holderman and Erin Simms, who have also produced the film. Bill Holderman makes his directorial debut. How the film got to be made makes interesting reading, so here. The creative duo first met at Robert Redford’s Wildwood Enterprises, where Holderman served as Redford’s long-time producing partner, and former actress Simms worked her way up from Redford’s assistant to developing and producing for the indie circuit. Discovering that they shared a similar work ethic and love for the feel-good movies of yesteryear, the pair set about making a film that was, yes, initially inspired by a weird Mother’s Day present.

By Mother’s Day 2012, James’ Grey books were selling like hot-cakes, and Holderman was convinced they’d make a good gift for his free-wheeling mother. Erin saw him doing this, and, at first, thought he was completely insane. Simms ended up sending a copy each to her own mother and stepmother. That kick-started a conversation between the pair, one about “our moms, and all their different perspectives on the age that they are and dating and attitudes,” Simms said. “The next day we had the idea for the movie.”

Please don’t try this at home. Not in an Indian home, unless...well, if it is ‘what the doctor ordered’ for your mother or stepmother, who am I to give you a statutory warning?  

Holderman and Simm keep the timeline current and do not provide any back-story visually. The sexual encounters that each of them get into are as diverse as can be, and therefore interesting. Ranging from what should one of them wear on a date, to the clumsy copulation in a car, to inappropriate and excessive use of sidenafil citrate (generic name of what most persons know as Viagra) to one of them saying she is reading Moby Dick when she is found digging into Fifty Shades of Grey...things keep rolling. Also interesting is the choice of professions for the characters in the story. It’s a feel good film alright, but the feeling does not percolate down to the viewer. A few smiles, half-a-dozen chuckles, and the film is over.

Diane Keaton (Play it Again Sam, The Godfather, Father of the Bride, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Unstrung Heroes-director) gets a good opportunity to put those serious stuff behind her. And she is named Diane! Fitness diva Jane Fonda (Klute, Coming Home, On Golden Pond) is Vivian, lithe and svelte, and brimming with confidence. It takes some believing that she is the oldest member of the cast, at 80. Mary Steenburge (Ragtime, Back to the Future III, Dean), the plainest Jane of the quartet, is Carol, apt as the homely one, driven towards acquiring a booster dose for her hubby and enticing him into a dance contest. Completing the square is Candice Bergen (Starting Over, Gandhi, Sex and the City), as Sharon, the buxom and curvaceous judge, always in charge, till the funny bits set in. She and Carol have the most hilarious scenes that they pull off with aplomb.

Andy Garcia (born Andrés Arturo García Menéndez in Havana, Cuba; Godfather III, Ocean’s Eleven, Pink Panther) as Mitchell, provides a surprise twist and his eyes flow with the discovery of a soul-mate, and his rugged features add that edge to his features. Craig T. Nelson (The Killing Fields, The Osterman Weekend, Poltergeist) plays Bruce and carries off the exaggerated Viagra episode with bumbling grace. Don Johnson plays Arthur, (Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star, Django Unchained, Cold in July), a man who started as a DJ and soon became the owner of a radio station chain, which he has now sold, and is in hot pursuit of the judge. Her ex husband Tom (Ed Begley Jr.; at 68 going on 69, he is entitled to add the Jr. suffix), in the meanwhile, is planning to marry a girl one-third his age, in a double-bill engagement ceremony where their son is getting engaged too. It’s a small role, but full of bubbly life.

Online dating takes Sharon to George, enacted by Richard Dreyfuss (American Graffiti, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, The Goodbye Girl), a man full of love and serious about his new liaison. Alicia Silverstone (the Crush, Batman and Robin, Clueless) is seen as Keeton’s daughter, while Katie Aselton plays her sibling. There are some real slice-of-life scenes between the mother and daughters. Also in the cast are Wallace Shawn as Derek, Tommy Dewey as Scott and Mircea Monroe as Cheryl.

Two major factors obstruct the vibes that could reach a wider audience: firstly, the age and age-related issues factor that is hardly likely to jell with audiences below 35 and secondly, there are too many characters to follow in the 104 minutes that we have to finish reading the Book Club. If you are an age agnostic man/woman and/or a gender agnostic man, the movie is worth an outing. Rated ‘R’ for ‘recommended to those above 45, when accompanied by someone who is above 60’.

Rating: ** ½

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDxgPIsv6sY

The Fifty Shades of Grey books are based on the series that began in 2011, with a novel of the same name by British author E. L. James. That is the pen-name of Erika Mitchell Leonard, who is now 55. She wrote the bestselling erotic romance trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed, along with the companion novels Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian, and Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian; under the name Snowqueen's Icedragon.

The combined novels have sold over 125 million copies worldwide, over 35 million copies in the United States, and set the record in the United Kingdom as the fastest selling paperback of all time. In 2012, Time magazine named her one of The World's 100 Most Influential People. The novels were subsequently adapted into the films: Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, and Fifty Shades Freed. Just for the record, Book Club, the present movie, has no connection with The Book Club by Mary Alice Monroe.

Coming up: Solo, a Star Wars Story

Solo: A Star Wars Story, Review: Buccaneer, Chewbacca, the survival axiom and the deadly coaxium

A long time ago (41 years) in a cinema hall far, far away from my home, I saw the first Star Wars film. What are 41 years in a universe where spaceship pilots are 190 years old? While you Chewbacca, let me tell you that the 190 year-old is a Wookie (closer to apes than humans), and that the aspiring pilot and the star of the movie, Han Solo, is played by an actor who is 29 but can easily pass off as 20-21. Unlike his assigned surname, Han is never solo or alone, and has to hop from planet to planet in full-crew spaceships, to pursue his career as mercenary/smuggler/pilot.

Solo: A Star Wars Story does not have Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, C3PO, Jabba the Hutt. Instead, it has Chewbacca (you spoiler!), Proxima, Lando, Qi’ra, Enfys, Lord Maul (inVader/Mauler…you get the flow), and two gentleman who go by the literature-inspired monikers of Dryden and Beckett. So, let the fun and games, trust and betrayal, tyranny and resistance begin.

On the ship-building world of Corellia, a young ‘scrumrat’ and aspiring pilot named Han and his teenage lover Qi'ra long to escape the clutches of the local criminal gangs, who work under Queen Proxima. They successfully bribe an Imperial officer, who grants them passage on an outgoing transport, but they plans are discovered and Qi'ra is apprehended by their pursuers before she can board. Han vows to return for her. With no means of income, joins the Imperial Navy as a flight cadet, with the Imperial recruiting officer dubbing him Han Solo, as Han is unable to provide surname.

Three years later, Han has been expelled from the Imperial Flight Academy, for insubordination, and is serving as an infantryman during a battle on the planet Mimban. He encounters a gang of criminals, posing as Imperial soldiers, led by Tobias Beckett. He is able to see through Beckett’s disguise and blackmails them into allowing him to join, but Beckett has him arrested and condemned to battle a beast, held in captivity. The beast is revealed to be a Wookiee named Chewbacca.

Thanks to Han's ability to speak Shyriiwook, the two stage a fight for the benefit of their captors and escape after collapsing their cell. A sympathetic Beckett rescues them, and enlists the two for a planned train heist to steal a shipment of the hyperfuel coaxium on the planet Vandor, but is enraged when Han ditches their shipment after they are ambushed by the Cloud Riders criminal gang.

Beckett reveals he was contracted to steal the shipment for Dryden Vos, leader of the Crimson Dawn criminal syndicate, and he now fears Vos' wrath. Han and Chewbacca volunteer to help him steal another shipment. They travel to Vos' skyscraper like yacht, where Han is confused to discover Qi'ra, who confesses that she is a member of Crimson Dawn. Beckett advises Han to believe in the axiom that nobody can be trusted.

Writing efforts are shared between Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return of the Jedi, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and his son Jonathan Kasdan (In the Land of Women, The First Time, Roadies). Obviously, these guys know what they are writing about. Narration is linear, which is always the best option, unless you excel in pendulumatics. Dialogue is the most functional I have heard in a long time.

A host of influences are perceptible in the screenplay. Han and Qi’ra’s separation is as close to ‘parting is such sweet sorrow’ as can get in a galaxy that hasn’t heard of Shakespeare, Romeo or Juliet. The train heist is a high-end take on many such scenes in films of the 80s, 90s and 2000s. Paying their respects to the cowboy ‘quick on the draw’ gunfights in the cinema of the 50s, 60s and 70s, the Kasdans recreate them almost true to the originals. When it comes to villains and villainy, Dryden Vos and Lord Maul, The Phantom Menace, may be the sceptre/spectre/smersh that other galaxies have given birth to, in a post James Bond eon.

Enfys Nest and the Cloud Riders are an interesting introduction into the narrative. On the planet Savareen, where Han, Beckett, and Qi'ra make a second attempt at stealing a load of the highly reactive coaxium, mined like coal, for processing into a deadly weapon, the pirates, who had stalled their train heist, reappear, and try to derail (pun intended) their plans once again. The pirates have them surrounded, and that's when the pirate leader removes her mask, to reveal the face of a young, red-headed girl. She then shares with Han and the gang that Crimson Dawn is essentially a colonising entity that, in turn, works for the Empire, and Beckett and Han’s heist to steal fuel would actually have helped the Empire consolidate and extend its rule. Her troops mark the dawn of the Rebellion against the Imperial forces.

Ron Howard (Apollo 13, The Missing, The Da Vinci Code) directed the film, though he arrived after the franchise split with original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, over creative differences. Howard keeps it simple. Very little fore-knowledge is mandated to comprehend what is going on, which is not the case in many other sci-fi and super-hero series.

Showing consideration, he kills off only one female robot and a couple of the bad guys. Well, Solo and Chewbacca just could not die, could they? while Lando and Val were so much fun. As regards Solo himself, there is no redemption in the offing. He has developed into a professional gun for hire, smuggling and looting for filthy lucre. Never mind. He was always such a lovable rogue. Do we miss Harrison Ford? You bet. Do we miss 76 year-old Harrison Ford as Han Solo? You don’t bet!

Alden Ehrenreich (Hail Caesar, Rules Don’t Apply, The Yellow Bird) plays Han Solo, the innocent orphan who gets sucked into the world of ruthless mercenaries. He looks and acts the part. It has been reported that Harrison Ford met with Ehrenreich, giving him some insight and words of advice. In some ways, Alden reminds us of Leonardo Di Caprio. Woody Harrelson (the Hunger Games, War for the Planet of the Apes, Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri) as Tobias Beckett makes hid stubble a part of his character that, say the writers, is based on Long John Silver from Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Emilia Clarke (Terminator Genisys, Me Before You, Voice from the Stone) as Qi'ra, a glamorous lady in a really sordid environment--“What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?”—fits very well into both modes. Donald Glover (Magic Mike XXL, The Martian, Spider-Man: Homecoming) as Lando Calrissian is not much different from any black rapper or star doin’ the same thing, including the original Lando, Billy Dee Williams, yet it is fun.

Thandie Newton (Besieged, Beloved, Mission Impossible II) as Val Beckett: Beckett's wife, a fellow criminal and member of her husband's crew, has a relatively small role. Spare a tear for Phoebe Waller-Bridge, L3-37, Lando's droid companion, who meets her demise, dying fighting. Joonas Suotamo (6’ 11’; Star Wars: The Force Awakens) is seen as Chewbacca, a role he shares with Peter Mayhew (Star Wars: The Last Jedi as Chewbacca). Little to judge, in terms of acting, unless one gets a grant to study grunts.

Erin Kellyman as Enfys Nest is inspired and motivated. Paul Bettany (English actor; Mortdecai, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War—as vision or voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. First major role on the franchises) as Dryden Vos, is a replacement for Michael K. Williams, because the latter was unable to find time for re-shooting. The character too, changed, from a motion-capture alien to a scarred human. It bears repetition that we have found a super-villain in the Bond franchise mould. Linda Hunt lends her voice to Lady Proxima, the giant alien creature who lives wallows in water. Jon Favreau, director of The Jungle Book, plays Rio Durant, a miniature four-armed alien who pilots at Imperial AT-Hauler.

A major star of the movie is the music composer, and in a film full of a gazillion sound effects, that is some achievement. Two Johns deserve kudos: the inimitable John Williams, who composed the original Solo theme, and John Powell, who was responsible for scores of films like Jason Bourne, Pan, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Rio 2, Ice Age - Continental Drift, and Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. A new Han Solo theme by John Williams and the rest of the background score was recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Compelling results!

Co-incidentally, the US release of the film is today, May 25, 2018, the 41st anniversary of the release of Star Wars: Episode IV--A New Hope, in which Harrison Ford first appeared as Han Solo—and the film has been released in India on the same day: today.

Take a 135-minute tour of hyperspace, but also be prepared for some red traffic lights.

Rating: ***

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPEYpryMp2s

Coming-up: Parmanu—The Story of Pokhran

Parmanu—The Story of Pokhran, Review: More fission, less fusion

India has carried out several nuclear (parmanu is Hindi for nuclear) tests since 1975. Yet, the 1998 experiments in the desert land of Pokharan, near Jaisalmer, have remained the talk of the nation. These were the tests that put India squarely in the nuclear power league. Records of such defence-related activities are usually classified. Unless the makers of Parmanu-The Story of Pokharan, have been allowed privileged access, large parts of the film might amount to mere projection, guesswork or conjecture. Of course, it is based on a true incident, one that took place in May 1998, exactly twenty years ago. Most of us saw the pictures on TV and read about the high drama on the papers. Now, should you watch the film or not? Read through, if you will, please.

Under the leadership of India's future President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, and during the tenure of PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Indian Army carried out nuclear tests at Pokhran. They were largely the effort of Capt. Ashwat Rana, who had made a blueprint. A bunch of lackadaisical leaders tried to go ahead on their own, without even bothering to read Rana’s plan, as detailed in a floppy disc (remember, those were pre CD and memory stick days). The experiment flopped.

Son of an army officer, Ashwat neglects his wife and son and works on what would be Pokharan II. Luckily for him, Himanshu Shukla, a Senior Secretary on the High Command, sees some merit in Rana’s well-researched papers, and agreed to back him. Soon a team is formed, consisting of the five defence and research wings, led by Rana. Inspired by the television serial based on the epic Mahabharata, and perhaps by his own Mahabharatian name, Ashwat, the members of the team are code-named after the five Pandavas: Yudhishthira, Arjun, Sahdev, Bheem and Nakul. Their cover? The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officers, working to restore the Pokharan Fort. On the lighter side, one of the members is a woman, so she is forced to go under a male name. And definitely no prizes for guessing who is code-named Krishna.

Besides putting in herculean efforts in preparing the ground and the shafts for the explosion, the team has to work in top secrecy, avoiding the gaze of the locals, as well as the omnipresent Lacrosse satellite, through which Big Brother is Watching. A dash of detail about Lacrosse: Onyx 3 (3103, USA 133, NROL 3) (ex Lacrosse 3) 1997-064A. Ok, so why worry about Big Brother? Because the USA did not, and does not, want any expansion of the nuclear club, and had warned India, after the failed Pokharan I, not to go down that road. As if the revolving satellite was not enough, there were some men on the ground, both from Uncle Sam and India’s northern neighbor in the constant lookout for anything unusual, the smallest of clues.

Pokharan really did happen. It is history. There is really no element of suspense to keep the audience glued to their seats. What was needed to gold your interest was the back story and the little nothings that news reports might not have carried. Written by Saiwyn Quadra (Mary Kom, Neerja), Sanyuktha Chawla Sheikh (dialogue for Mary Kom, Jodi Breakers, Love Breakup Zindagi) and Abhishek Sharma (the two Laden films), Parmanu chooses to develop just two players: Ashwat and his family, and the Secretary, with no references. Ashwat, wife and child are moulded in the most trope-cal manner, leasing up to the anticipated melodramatic confrontation. Himanshu Shukla is a complete Western import. He stares at you, says an emphatic “No”, only to lead into a cut that shows he said “Yes.” Oh, by the way, he drinks too. Shukla is almost acceptable, but remains the odd-ball in the pack. There is little or no character building or back-story, except for some mumblings and grumblings.

What we must appreciate in the screenplay is the ingenuity on either side. Team India works so surreptitiously during satellite blind spot windows that even their vehicles don’t leave tracks for the cameras up there. For their part, Team USA and Pakistan can spot in car parked in the opposite direction. And when their satellites cannot spot anything, the operatives are able to tap in to landline (mobiles had just arrived) phone conversations between Ashwat and his wife. This cat and mouse game becomes the most important part of the proceedings. Scenes that lead up to Pokharan I are amateurish and contrived. Maybe all that I have listed above really happened—doesn’t matter; it does not make good cinema.

Abhishek Sharma (Tere Bin Laden, The Shaukeens, Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive) has too much of factual data on his plate. There is almost no comic relief. Freezing the players near the end as a result of the explosion was a good idea. On the other hand, it also appeared that they had miscalculated the perimeter of the explosion, and were being blow away. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpayee gets good exposure, while A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is given just token screen space, which seems to belittle his contribution. It is unclear why the six ‘ASI officers’ have to wear army-like uniforms, with their Mahabharat names stitched on their chests—a sure-fire way of attracting attention.

John Abraham (Jism, Dhoom, New York) as Capt. Ashwat Rana is better than his usual self, but the melodrama was best left out. Dialogue delivery is monotonous, though he does look in control. Diana Penty (Cocktail, Happy Bhag Jayegi, Lucknow Central) Ambalika Bandopadhyaya. She’s more than fair and it takes a while to accept her. What is more important is that she knows her job. It’s a small role, and she measures-up. Vikas Kumar (Prithipal Singh..A Story, Hamid) as Major Prem is a great piece of casting. He was rivetting in the short ABSNT and leaves his mark here too.

Yogendra Tiku (Queen, Ankhon Dekhi, Neerja) as Dr. Naresh Sinha, the oldest member of the team, and predictably forgetful, is passable. Aditya Hitkari as Dr. Viraf Wadia, the decorated one, is passable too. Some humour in infused by Ajay Shanker as Puru Ranganathan, always munching. Although she puts in hard work, Anuja Sathe (Bajirao Mastani, Blackmail) has a clichéd role. Having worked mainly in television, Darshan Pandya fits the role of the Pakistani spy, while Zachary Coffin (how can one ever tire of smiling when that name comes up?) is just right as the American counterpart, Stephen. Back in the US, Mark Bennington does a good job of being on the job: preparing satellite reports. Boman Irani (Bhootnath Returns, Happy New Year, PK, Housefull 3) as Himanshu Shukla faces no challenge as an actor. To some, he might even be the less Indian than desirable, like Diana Penty. Stock mannerisms, minor variations in pitch and brimming confidence--sometimes, all this can work against you.

There is a thin red line between nuclear impact and no clear impact. Likewise, a fusion involves blending together while fission is bursting out of explosive elements. Made by agnostic producer John Abraham, the subject was a good opportunity to reach real patriots, but not of the rabble rousing kind. Team Parmanu has succeeded partially, and partial success of a nuclear test is not good enough, even if it lasts for 135 minutes.

Rating: **

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA8GhjL664A

Pokhran-II: Facts and figures

On 11th May, 1998, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), along with the Indian Army, carried out three underground nuclear tests, at 3:45 pm, and on 13th May, 1998, two other nuclear tests were conducted, at 12:21 pm, in the deserts of Pokhran, in the northern state of Rajasthan. The Operation was codenamed Shakti. Earlier, India had carried out its first nuclear tests in 1974, under the codename Smiling Buddha, under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

There were five explosions during 1998. Among the five nuclear bombs, the first one was a ‘fusion’ bomb and the rest four were ‘fission’ bombs. The first three bombs included 45 kilotons thermonuclear device, 15 kt fission device and sub-kt nuclear device. The other two, which were tested on 13th May, were also sub-kt bombs, of power 0.5 kt and 0.3 kt.

The tests were carried out under the leadership of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India and former Head of Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO). Other chief coordinators of the project were Dr. R Chidambaram, former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. K Santhanam, former Chief Adviser, Technologies, DRDO and Dr. Anil Kakdokar, former Director of Baba Atomic Research Center (BARC).

After conducting the tests, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee addressed the media and confirmed that there was no release of radioactive elements into the atmosphere. The Pokhran-II tests pushed Indian into the elite ‘nuclear club’ and the tests were also was also seen as a boost for country’s defence forces.

Pakistan vociferously opposed India’s nuclear tests and issued a statement accusing India of starting an arms race in the sub-continent. Despite being immensely pressurised by US President Bill Clinton and Opposition Leader of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, went on to authorise its own nuclear tests. The tests by Pakistan were conducted on May 28th, 1998 and on May 30th, 1998, under the code name Chagai-I and Chagai-II.

Quoting JohnAbraham

“This subject had come to Prerna and Arjun (Of KriArj Entertainment). When they came to me with this subject I liked it and then we developed it in-house. We were very fortunate as the script finally shaped up really well,” said John.

Statement issued by John Abraham’s company JA Entertainment

As per the order of Bombay High Court, "Parmanu-The Story of Pokhran" will release on May 25, under the joint banner of JA Entertainment, Zee Studios and Kyta Productions.

"There is no other producer associated with this project. The film will be distributed in India by Vashu Bhagnani's Pooja Entertainment, and will be distributed overseas by Zee Studios.

"We are extremely thankful to the Hon'ble Bombay High Court for the speedy resolution of various issues at hand thus paving the way for our film's release. We would like to make no further comment and focus all our energies on the release of the film now."

KriArj Entertainment had accused JA Entertainment for not fulfilling their commitment to finish the project.

Goodbye, Philp Roth

A 1969 production, Goodbye Columbus must have reached India at least a couple of years later, as was the norm for all Hollywood films, due to some policy issues that lasted through the 80s. I had turned 18, and the buzz around the film was exciting enough to draw me to the theatre. It was technically Ali MacGraw’s debut as a leading lady. Richard Benjamin, the lead actor, had worked in television, and it was also his big screen debut. I liked its bursting sexuality and MacGraw’s rare, for the time on Indian screens, feminine passion. I did not know then that the controversial film’s screenplay by Arnold Schulman had won the Writers Guild of America Award, nor that the film was based on a National Book Award winning novella, by Philip Roth.

Philip Milton Roth, who was born a Jew, passed away a week ago of congestive heart failure, at the age of 85, forbidding any Jewish rituals from being performed at his funeral, according to his biographer, Blake Bailey. Though Roth did not believe in the Jewish religion, he liked Jewish persons and had many Jewish friends. He liked their warmth, their filial piety, which he made a lot of fun of too, in Portnoy’s Complaint, which was also made into a film. The 1969 novel depicts the therapy sessions of a sexually frustrated Jewish man, voiced by the irrepressible Alexander Portnoy, and has been described as a “rollicking psychoanalytic monologue”, that remains hilarious and shocking, 50 years after its publication. It is also largely autobiographical.

As many as eight of his books were made into films (see filmography below) and he even married an actress, Claire Bloom(Limelight, Look Back in Anger, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The King’s Speech). Bloom was his second wife. Margaret Martinson, his first spouse, had died in 1968, and Bloom was his wife for five years, 1990-95, although they were together for 17 years. After they divorced, Roth did not marry. The divorce itself was bitter and remained so till the end. Bloom addressed this and many other aspects if living with Roth, very little of which was complimentary. In later years, Roth was known to change his phone number frequently and live like a recluse. He did respond to messages sent through friends. Bloom is now 87.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, to Bess Finke Roth and Herman Roth, he was educated at Bucknell University and University of Chicago, where he completed his M.A.; He was given the Rockefeller Grant, 1965. Earlier, he had served in the army during 1955-56. Back from military duty, he took –up various lecturing assignments: Lecturer in English, Univ. of Chicago 1956-58; Visiting Lecturer, Univ. of Iowa Writers' Workshop 1960-62; Writer-in-Residence, Princeton Univ. 1962-64, Univ. of Pa.1967-80; Distinguished Prof. of Literature, Hunter Coll. 1989-92; Visiting Lecturer, State Univ. of N.Y., Stony Brook, 1967. Literary scholarships were offered in abundance: Literary Fellow Houghton Miffin1959; Guggenheim Fellowship Grant, Ford Foundation Grant 1966.

Award of Nat. Inst. of Arts and Letters 1959, Nat. Book Critics' Circle Award (for The Counterlife, 1987, for Patrimony, Nat. Arts Club's Medal of Honor for Literature 1991, PEN/Faulkner Fiction ward for (for Operation Shylock) 1993, shared with Karel Capek, Nat. Book Award for Fiction (for Sabbath's Theatre) Pulitzer Award for American Pastoral, 1998.

In October 2012, when he was 79 going on 80, Roth, announced his retirement.  By then, he had written some 30 books, over a period of 50 years. Looking back on his career, he commented, “Joe Louis (the boxing legend) said: ‘I did the best I could with what I had.’ This is exactly what I would say of my work: I did the best I could with what I had.”  Of course, his tools were not boxing gloves but raucous, raunchy, biting, comic and autobiographical writing.

Filmography

*Battle of Blood Island, starring Richard Devon, Ron Kennedy, based on the short story, ‘Expect the Vandals’

*Goodbye, Columbus, starring Richard Benjamin and Ali McGraw

*Portnoy's Complaint, starring Richard Benjamin and Karen Black

*The Human Stain, with Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman

*The Dying Animal, adapted as 'Elegy'; starring Penélope Cruz and Ben Kingsley

*The Humbling, with Al Pacino and Greta Gerwig

*Indignation, which had Logan Lerman and Sarah Gadon

*American Pastoral, which had in its cast Ewan McGregor and Jennifer Connelly

फेmous, Review: Nothing famous infamous

Some fellow critics, when emerging from the screening of a film that tests your patience and insults your intelligence, often mutter quite audibly, “Why do they make such films?” The context, quite obviously, is not existentialist, as codified by Jean Paul Sartre and other European scholars in the 1930s and 40s. Rather, it is angst that is vented out at being taken for a royal ride. A few of those who have seen such films do not review them at all, for reasons perfectly understandable, and I understand their logic. But I owe it to my readers to review the film, and call it names, if it so deserves. So this is about a film called Famous, which is a highly ambitious title, so ambitious that an antonym comes immediately to mind.

Famous is spelt stylistically with the Hindi/Devanagari फे replacing the English Fa. Ironically, among the first things that will elude Famous is fame. The film does nothing to achieve any kind of landmark, except for some interesting dialogue, which goes abegging because of the situation it is written for. A poster describes the film as “Attitude of Chambal {in North India}, a gun in hand and the power that flows from the barrel of the gun {Mao Tse-Tung, no less} makes a man.” Chambal is the heart of dacoit infested territory in India, but it no longer sends tremors down the spines of the itinerant traveller or the unscrupulous  moneybags.

Shambhu Singh is the narrator and the actor who dominates the first few scenes. It has to be revealed here that Shambhu Singh is played by Jackie Shroff. As dacoits led Kadak Singh attack a marriage in Shambhu’s family, double barrel guns go off like the celebratory fire-crackers. Nothing is heard of Shambhu for the next 90 minutes, till he returns from hibernation at an unspecified spot and digs the mud to extricate his gun, hidden there and still there. As he pulls out the gun, he sees a human hand, that of Radhe Shyam, who was severely beaten up and thrown there to die. Shambhu now has an ally.

Radhe Shyam had a crush on a teacher called Rosy {haven’t we had enough of school-teachers being named Rosy?}. She was murdered after being raped, by the local legislator, Ram Vijay Tripathi, in cahoots with Kadak Singh. The rapacious Ram Singh does not spare Lalli either, Lalli being Radhe Shyam’s wife, coming from a high caste family. Kadak Singh is the mafia face of Ram, who settles everything with his political connections. When Ram becomes a member of parliament, his brother takes the local legislator’s seat. The three-some revel in taking huge bribes to get tenders passed, and pick-up whichever woman they fancy.

A student of a famous film school and later assistant to director Tigmanshu Dhulia, Karan Lalit Butani has written story, while writer Puneet Sharma, a lyricist and dialogue writer {Boichek, Crazy Cukkad, Bull BulBul Bandook}joins him in the screenplay and dialogue duties. Except for a long scene wherein a father and son bring a Turkey made pistol and discuss the project that needs the blessings of the Tripathi-Singh duo in return for a huge bribr, there is a singular lack of imagination in the writing. I have mentioned above that dialogue could have been more efficacious had it not been so blatantly claptrap.

Debutant Karan Lalit Butani has worked with Jimmy Shergill as an assistant director in films like Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster (both parts) and Bullet Raja, so he owed it to Shergill. Well, cast as a nerdish lad who pouts loud threats when he cannot even hold a gun, he sure is not the Jimmy Shergill we know. Different, yes, but to what end? We may not be able to dispute that dacoit dramas have some almost unavoidable tropes. But instead of learning from the scoring plot points, Butani brings in corruption and high-end politics, perhaps in an attempt to be original. I am offering a list of dacoit films here that a sizeable chunk of critics would name as defining cinema. The list is by no means exhaustive, but that is not what we are talking about:

Ganga Jamuna, Mother India, Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai, Mujhe Jeene Do, Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jayee, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Sholay, Chambal Ki Qasam, Bandit Queen and Paan Singh Tomar. That’s 10. Without replicating in toto, there is so much we can learn from these classics. Yet the truth is that technically, and even in such crucial departments like camera and focus, Famous is guilty.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRduh_OX2MM

Dad’s Girl-friend, Play review: Giggles, chuckles and a tear for your tissue

It’s not as shocking as it seems. Dad’s a widower. He is an acclaimed novelist and the girl- friend is someone who begins as a protégée and ends up being her mentor’s soul-mate. The feelings are completely mutual, but how do they convince author’s daughter and son-in-law about their plans, and how can you choose between your daughter and your girl-friend, who, incidentally, are both of the same age? That in essence is the plot of the play, Dad’s Girl-friend, which is in Hindi, with ample doses of English, so they call Hinglish.

Mr. Dalip Vaidya a famous author, professional speaker and professor, has had a very successful career, but in the process, he could never give time to his family--his wife and a daughter, Diya. He did not attend any of her birthdays and was absent even at her wedding. Diya is now married to Kanav, a theatre actor, against the wish of Vaidya. After many years, Vaidya, who has now settled in the USA, he is now coming to meet his daughter and stay with her for some time. Diya is very excited, but Kanav is naturally upset. Meeting her after years, Vaidya starts discovering various dimensions of the father-daughter relationship for the first time. At the same time his tiffs and recurrent friction, with the funny, whimsical and witty Kanav, keeps taking new shapes.

Things take an unexpected turn when Avni, an old student and fan of Vaidya during his days in Lucknow, shows up in Delhi, and starts visiting Vaidya quite often, on his invitation. To Diya’s horror, she even addresses him as “Dalip”. Diya, who is otherwise very kind and generous, starts feeling insecure about Avni, as she is taking away time and attention from her father. Diya’s father was lost for decades, but now that the two have found each other, will they separate once more?

Impressive credentials adorn the coat-of-arms of writer-director Atul Satya Koushik. An alumnus of Sri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi, he is a qualified Chartered Accountant. He also holds a degree in Law. All of 32, he has already written 12 full length theatre plays and produced and directed 15 theatre productions with over 250 shows in different parts of India. His trademark productions include "Chakravyuh", "Draupadi", "Kahani Teri Meri", "Saudagar" (Merchant of Venice), "Wo Lahore", "Couple Trouble" and “Raavan ki Ramayan" featuring Puneet Issar.

Having seen Raavan ki Ramayan less than a month ago, that was the only benchmark I could measure Dad’s Girl-friend against. Comparisons can be odious, I accept. Raavan Ki Ramayan was epic mythology where the tale and characters very familiar to almost the entire audience, and all that mattered was execution and performances. Atul Satya Koushik came-up trumps. Dad’s Girl-friend is romantic comedy with mushy overdoses and a hint of bedroom farce. Here, Koushik is struggling.

Since the title is Dad’s Girl-friend, the narrator should have been Diya, the daughter, but Koushik goes with Kanav. Why he chose to name the character Kanav is beyond me, because this is the first I have heard the name, in 50 years of professional life. He is supposed to be an actor, but the only interaction about theatre is through a series of off-stage phone calls. One or two are funny, and then they get irritating. Vaidya, a man of letters and a name to reckon with in English literature, is unable to match the diction and accent that should be integral to his part.

I can recall four dances of various styles, all well enacted. Their connection with the plot, however, is tenuous. Koushik has a weakness for jazz/soul music, and several pieces are used to good effect. There is a water fixation too. Almost all the characters cross the stage to the stage right, and keep pouring and drinking water. The ‘vent your anger’ alcove was a good idea, till Koushik decided to milk it completely. All phone calls received or made by the characters are from expected persons. Since a rather long period is indicated for the events in the play—two weeks or so, calls from unrelated persons could add to the humour. Sadly, the end, though a convenient lie, is not a convincing one. More imaginative writing was required.

Suman Vaidya, Karishma Singh, Satyender Malik and Anumeha Jain have all performed to grade. Satyender Malik has the most punch-lines, and that is logical, since he is a theatre actor. Suman suits the role in terms of personality, but needs to brush-up his English a bit. Vertically challenged Malik and tall girl Singh make a comely pair, in spite of the height issue.

This kind of subject is American playwright Neil Simon territory: Familial bonds v/s amoral/immoral developments, a hint of sex, chuckles and giggles, and the odd half-tear to deposit on your handkerchief/tissue. Come Blow Your Horn, Barefoot in the Park, Chapter Two, The Odd Couple and many more were made into successful films. He’s 90 going on 91. Koushik must tip his hat to the Jewish genius, for I cannot imagine Dad’s Girl-friend materialising without a tour of the universe populated by Marvin Neil Simon.

Rating: ** ½

CommunicAsia 2018, 01: Intro

CommunicAsia is back at the Marina Bay Sands and SunTec City, in Singapore. The dates for this edition are June 26, 27, 28. Free shuttle bus services will ply through the day, connecting the two venues.

Inspired by the radical changes in the ICT industry, the refreshed CommunicAsia continues to be Asia’s most established and relevant event for industry professionals in the telecommunications sector. It brings together thought-leaders, decision makers, and influencers throughout the ecosystem, to network, explore new technologies, share ideas and create valuable opportunities for all.

CommunicAsia, together with BroadcastAsia, and the new NXTAsia, form ConnecTechAsia – the region’s answer to the converging worlds of Telecommunications, Broadcasting and Emerging Technologies.

The event will showcase latest technologies and innovations on

ICON_5G / SDN / NFV / Small Cells

5G / SDN / NFV /

Small Cells

ICON_Broadband & Infrastructure

Broadband & Infrastructure

ICON_FTTX / Photonics / Fibre Communications

FTTX / Photonics / Fibre Communications

ICON_SatComm

Satcomm

ICON_Connect Everywhere

Tech Showcase

Get an overview of the key technologies at CommunicAsia2018! These are the hot technologies that are the focus of Asia’s operators, ISPs and system integrators. Check out these technologies on the show floor to learn about the trends that are shaping the industry.

5G/4G/LTE

Broadband

Connected Devices

Connected Cars

Content Delivery Networks (CDN)

Content Management & Security

Drones/ UAV

Embedded Technology

FTTX/ Photonics

Fog Computing

Infrastructure & Network Solutions

IPTV

LPWAN/LoRa

Mobile Apps

Multi-Screen Technology

Network Functions Virtualisation

Narrow band IoT

Satellite Communications & Services

Small Cells

Software Defined Networks/ Software Defined Wide Network

Sustainable ICT

System Integrators

Satcomm will be held at Level 1 of Marina Bay Sands

Boasting Asia’s largest congregation of satellite companies, SatComm is the gathering place for satellite solution providers and operators, telecom operators, broadcasters, IT professionals from government agencies and many more!

Aditi Govitrikar and Asif Bhamla

Stars sparkle for World Environment Day in Mumbai

Sparkles Diamond Jewellery joined hands with Bhamla Foundation to observe World Environment Day on June 05. Present on the occasion were actors Tanisha Mukerji, Sidhhant Kapoor (son of Shakti Kapoor), Aditi Govitrikar, singer composer Armaan Malik and playback singer Shaan (real-name Shantanu Mukherjee).

Shaan and Tanisha

Sparkles Diamond Jewellery is a brand of Poddar Diamonds Limited and Asif Bhamla is a popular politician, who lives in the Bandra area of Mumbai, where the celebration was held. The amphi-theatre here, a few metres from the Carter Road beach and 1.5 km from my home, has become a very popular venue for social and entertaining gatherings.

Earlier, there was a tree plantation drive undertaken, wherein 500 saplings were planted across the city. Established in 1972 by the United Nations Organisation (UNO), World Environment Day is one of the principal vehicles through which it stimulates worldwide awareness for the environment, and also encourages positive action.

Speaking on the occasion, Moneka Poddar, Director, Poddar Diamonds Limited, said, “Plastic has been around us for decades and the convenience it provides cannot be matched. It helps in cutting down wastage of food, medicine technology, packaging practices etc. But we have been unable to prevent the plastic waste from entering the ocean, where it harms the existing ecosystems of the sea creatures, flora and fauna, contaminating it and eventually entering our food chain. As a company, we at Poddar Diamonds Limited have replaced plastics all over with eco-friendly and biodegradable materials.”

According to the UNO, approximately 12 million tonnes of plastic garbage enters the waters every year. The plastic waste epidemic is evident all over the globe; animals have reportedly died after ingesting it, and it has caused damage to the soil because microscopic plastic particles have contaminated the very soil that is used to grow our foods.

Bhamla Foundation, is working towards curbing the plastic menace, keeping in line with the UNO initiative of ‘Beat Plastic Pollution’. The programme was launched at the hands of former Hon. President of India, Dr. Pranab Mukherjee.

More than 12,000 people who attended the event pledged to discard single-use plastic. Several other volunteers created messages with the aim to beat plastic and save Mother Earth. The key highlights of the event included stalls on environmental awareness and preservation, a cyclathon, free height weight and blood pressure check-ups, keynote sessions by noted environmentalists and a free tree sapling distribution drive.

Incidentally, a Shaan number about the dangers of plastic is doing the rounds. It says in Hindi that “tic tic tic tic plastic tic na paaye re”, meaning plastic will not win. And guess who has joined him in this duet? Master choreographer, Shiamak Davar!

Sidhhant, Playing Pogo

Mocktailswere on the house, and cartoon characters from TV channels were mingling with the attendees, but the audience had to wait almost an hour and a quarter for the proceedings to begin. And then compère Meraj was let loose on us. He talked non-stop (on the top of his voice, into a lapel microphone; making me wonder whether lapel microphones are really that gain friendly), as if there was no tomorrow, till actress/compère Ruby Bhatia joined him on stage, to share the duties.

Jurassic World-A Fallen Kingdom: Tyrannosaurus, Baryonyx, Indoraptor, Pterosaurs Carnotaurus, Mosaurus, Thesaurus and some humans

You’ve got to give it to them. Since the film is about dinosaurs, they filled the screen with myriad variations on the thematic anima/bird. Problem is, they all do almost the same thing, except with the handler, and that too when he pretends to be sad. The ‘same thing’ is making ferocious calls, and then getting into the seek-and-destroy anything human mode.

Humans are broadly divided into three species as far as dinosaurs in this film go: protect them, kill them and sell them at vulgar prices. Very few survive the battle of ferocious battalions, and yes, they include some dinosaurs. Why? If you are asking, then you do not know much about sequels.

Fallen Kingdom is second instalment of a planned Jurassic World trilogy. During a stormy night on the island of Isla Nublar--the site of the Jurassic World theme park that was abandoned three years earlier--a mercenary team attempts to retrieve a DNA sample of the deceased hybrid dinosaur, Indominus Rex, whose remains are in the park's Mosasaurus lagoon. On the surface, a team member opens the gates to allow a small submarine to enter into the lagoon and retrieve the DNA sample. However, the Mosasaurus kills the submarine crew after they deliver the sample to the surface. The remaining mercenaries flee, when the park's Tyrannosaurus arrives, consequently leaving the gate open for the Mosasaurus to escape into the ocean.

On the mainland, there is an ongoing debate on whether Isla Nublar's dinosaurs should be saved from the island's volcano, which is about to erupt. During a U.S. Senate hearing, Dr. Ian Malcolm states that the dinosaurs should be left to die, as he believes that cloning them was a mistake, and that nature is correcting the mistake. Former park manager Claire Dearing has created the Dinosaur Protection Group, to save the creatures, along with Franklin, a former park technician, and Zia, a paleo-veterinarian (dictionaries, anyone?). However, with the senate decision to reject rescue of the dinosaurs, Claire's mission is over, as she has neither the funds, nor the technical support nor the money. Out of the blue, she is contacted by Benjamin Lockwood, John Hammond's partner in creating the cloning technology. The mission is on.

Based on characters created by Michael Crichton in his novel Jurassic Park, published in 1990, this marks his fifth film and a sixth is following. Since Jurassic Park was made in 1993, this is the silver jubilee year as the creator of the realm. Colin Trevorrow (Making World, Reality Show, Jurassic World I—co-wrote and directed) and Derek Connolly (Safety not Guaranteed, Jurassic World--with Colin Trevorrow, Monster Trucks) have worked o the screenplay of Fallen Kingdom. As indicated above, a sizeable chunk of footage is hogged by the early inhabitants of our planet, who find themselves in the 21^st century, cloned and unfamiliar with the terrain, and the homo sapiens who populate it. You are bound to lose track of which one belongs to which phylum, because at that pitch, their toothy war-cries sound all the same. The game is all about who or what will they attack next, and will the do-gooders survive the dual frontiers of the creatures and the unholy gang that wants to auction the caché. But it does seems facile to show these brute-strength, elephant-sized (sometimes even bigger) caged in normal facilities, from which they repeatedly escape. Add to that Uncle Sam is not in the picture at all, whereas he and his intelligence would have had all the second-by-second info on such large scale operations that have high-grade ammunition and volcanic eruption going off and going on for hours, if not days.

Sitting in the director’s chair is J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage, The Impossible, A Monster Calls). He has the ingredients: endangered species, indifferent government, unscrupulous business barons, a mercenary who will do anything for money, committed crusaders ad a cloned human. Excluding the plethora of dinosaurs and the cloned human angle, all the characters have a trope, déjà vu feel.

A hint of the shape of things to come is placed at the end-credits, at the very end. Only two people must have seen it when I was part of the audience and I was not one of the lucky few. Only two people were still on their seats as I trudged out. Two important questions arise: Are dinosaurs pretty or pet-worthy? Or are they terrifying man-eaters that will not replace or co-exist with cats, dogs, fish, birds and hamsters? Give it a thought. Two stars are cast in relatively small roles—one an old lady and the other a slightly younger man. Both had potential to display talent, had it been in the fitness of things.

Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World, The Magnificent Seven) as Owen Grady, the dinosaur trainer helps bring out the humane side of dinosaurs and does a decent job. Bryce Dallas Howard (Spiderman 3, Terminator Salvation, Jurassic World) as Claire Dearing, Owen’s ex-girlfriend, a dinosaur-rights activist, has the go-getting spirit. Rafe Spall as Eli Mills, Lockwood's ambitious right-hand man who will stoop as low as he can to further the fortunes of Lockheed and the evil spirit emerges soon enough. Not a very convincing role, but he manages to pull it off.

Toby Jones as Gunnar Eversoll, an auctioneer host at Lockwood Estate who sells the dinos for millions of dollars each, not much different from a rogue arms dealer. Diminutive he may be, but he does live the character. James Cromwell is Sir Benjamin Lockwood, John Hammond's former partner in developing the technology to clone dinosaurs, now reduced to wheel-chair. He looks the part ad evokes sympathy, though he also comes across as naïve, thanks to the script.

Isabella Sermon as Maisie Lockwood, the granddaughter of Benjamin Lockwood, is the quintessential, curious pre-teenager, who nurses fear too, and is often undecided. Ted Levine as Ken Wheatley, a seasoned mercenary who is in command of the rescue operation on Isla Nublar, enacts the role with dead-pan fixation o the one thing that makes him move: money. Geraldine Chaplin as Iris, the housekeeper of the Lockwood Estate, Maisie Lockwood's nanny, either needed at least two more scenes to make her presence felt, as did Jeff Goldblum, who is cast as Dr. Ian Malcolm, an expert in chaos theory, who once consulted for InGen's Jurassic Park. Two good actors wasted.

In supporting roles are Justice Smith as Franklin Webb, Daniella Pineda as Dr. Zia Rodriguez, a former Marine, and B. D. Wong as Dr. Henry Wu, the former head geneticist of Jurassic World and the original Jurassic Park. John Williams delivers the music score, as he usually does, on a critically high note.

Avoid comparing and stop looking for breakthrough plot points, and you might just find Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom breaking the fall. But only just. Recommended for T. Rex, Baryonyx, Indoraptor, Pterosaurs Carnotaurus, Mosaurus, Thesaurus and some humans.

Not recommended for discerning cinegoers and franchise fans who will compare trope for trope and CGI for CGI.

Rating: ** ½

Rating: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn9mMeWcgoM

CommunicAsia 2018, 02: Brainstorm to showcase its graphics and virtual set range at BroadcastAsia

If you come down to booth 4P-01 at the Broadcast Asia segment of CommunicAsia, you will find Spain's Brainstorm, a leading manufacturer of real-time 3D graphics and virtual studio solutions. They will be showing the latest enhancements for high-end and hyper-realistic content, creation using virtual sets, Augmented Reality and data-driven graphics.

The company will showcase a photo-realistic virtual set presentation for Augmented Reality and broadcast applications, where the synthetic images will be undistinguished from the real ones. It will be so because of the combination of the Brainstorm studio ‘renderer’, with the Epic Games Unreal Engine, within the new Combined Render Engine application. Aston will also be an integral part of the public demo, as it delivers the in-context data-driven graphics, which adds yet another level of visually engaging content within the virtual studio environment.

Brainstorm’s Infinity Set provides state-of-the-art Augmented Reality features used daily by broadcasters all over the world to create astonishing shows using virtual sets and graphics. Technologies like Track Free or unique features such as TeleTransporter, 3D Presenter or VideoGate are helping customers of all sizes to create amazing virtual content to better engage audiences, as shown recently at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang.

Aston itself showcases advanced graphics creation tools and object properties, including advanced primitives, textures, materials, shaders and many more, and features a user-friendly, contextual interface that speeds up and facilitates the designer’s operation. Consequently, Aston is able to perform at its best in any graphics application, from channel branding to news and sports graphics with charts, classifications or bumpers, and from data-driven statistics to augmented reality interactive objects.

To complete the graphics range, and for the first time at BroadcastAsia, Brainstorm will showcase Neuron, Brainstorm’s pathway to broadcast graphics, traffic and branding management solution. Neuron is an integrated, MOS-compatible template-based system, that allows for complex graphics integration, not only in the newsroom, but also in most of the common broadcast workflows, with the support of continuity and broadcast traffic as well.

David Alexander, Brainstorm’s Commercial Director, says “We are delighted to be once again at BroadcastAsia, and with an increase in the size of our booth space as well. Asia in general is of upmost importance in Brainstorm’s commercial strategy and our commitment to the region is proven once again with our presence at BroadcastAsia as we continue to expand our presence in the area in tandem with the growth in the number of regionally based Brainstorm personnel.”

Brainstorm Multimedia S.L.

Avenida de la Albufera, 321, Planta 3, Of. 12

28031 Madrid, Spain

Tel. +34 91 781 67 50

www.brainstorm3d.com

CommunicAsia 2018, 03: Telos Infinity IP Intercom at InfoComm

Award-winning Telos Infinity™ IP Intercom will be featured at InfoComm 2018, which is part of CommunicAsia 2018. This has been described as the AoIP solution that ‘changes everything’.

At booth # C713you will experience the first product in a new series of Telos Infinity solutions that provide infinite scalability and increased functionality in a simplified, cost effective, and more elegant form, for distributed IP network systems. 

More than just a talkback system, the new Telos Infinity IP Intercom provides convergence for voice communication and contribution audio on a single IT backbone employing the latest standards-based VoIP and Livewire+ AES67 AoIP protocols. By eliminating the central matrix, it is possible to create a dynamic, self-healing system, built on a system of distributed DSP. This design provides more capacity, as the system grows, eliminating previous concerns about running out of ports on a matrix. And, as an AoIP-based system, it enjoys the expected and significant reduction in the necessary cabling and interconnections, and creates an attractive value proposition that can be more easily presented to the corner office.

“Telos Infinity IP Intercom was first introduced to serve the needs of television and radio broadcasters requiring high channel volume and flexible configuration on the fly”, said John Schur, President, TV Solutions Group. “That same scalability and versatility makes Infinity ideal for non-broadcast environments as well, including education, security, houses of worship, corporate applications, live events, sports, theatre, and entertainment,” he added.

Hardware includes rack-mounted Intercom Master Panels and Master Expansion Panels, Master Desktop Stations, and wired Dual Channel Partyline Beltpacks. The Telos Infinity Dashboard software provides access to any networked endpoint.

Because Telos Infinity IP Intercom natively supports Livewire+ AES67, it seamlessly connects with the full line of Telos AoIP products, as well as those from other supporting manufacturers, making for easy integration into existing analogue, AES, SDI, and MADI environments.

About The Telos Alliance®

For three decades, the brands of the Telos Alliance have revolutionised radio and television by pioneering disruptive, cutting-edge audio technology with the goal of helping global networks and local stations produce better programming, improve audience engagement, and bolster ratings. The Telos Alliance is made up of six brands—Telos® Systems, Omnia® Audio, Axia® Audio, Linear Acoustic®, 25-Seven® Systems, and Minnetonka™ Audio—that raise the bar for quality and innovation in the radio and television industries. The Telos Alliance invented Audio over IP for broadcast and contributed time and resources to the effort that led to the AES67 standard. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, with additional offices and dealers around the world, the Telos Alliance offers an industry-leading warranty and backs users' critical on-air needs with worldwide 24/7 round-the-clock support for all customers.

Afreen

MTV’s Date to Remember: End is near, my Dear Exs and eXs, so step on the accelerator

MTV’s popular show ‘Date to Remember’ is nearing the end of its seasonal and things are getting complicated. There are fights, new love stories, and fresh grouping of the contestants. It all started with the nail-biting suspense at the elimination stage in the last episode. This week, we would only see it going a step further.

Some contestants are in the danger zone already, including Aquib and Rahul Yadav. They will have to face challenges in the next task, as is the format of the show. The famous Rubdeet Singh (isn’t that a cute name?) and his friends, popularly known as Rubdeet’s Trio, are in the safe zone. Who will get eliminated in this episode is a mystery that will unravel today, 17 June.

This episode will also have an interesting task, in the form of bursting balloons, tied to the present and ex-girlfriend of the contestants. What makes this task interesting is that the balloons have to be burst by the back of the body; making it all the more difficult. The contestants will not be able to see anything, and it will only be through good communication skills that they would be able to complete the task. The winner will be, of course, the one who bursts the maximum number of balloons. The winners will be announced at the end of the episode. Also, who gets to spend time on a lavish date will be revealed.

Savina

Producer of the show, Santosh Gupta, Managing Director, Pinnacle, said “Date to Remember as a show tests couples through various tasks; which are ultimately based on parameters like trust, communications, etc." Co-producer Sarabjeet Anand of Promon.in said, “The show is a test of love, and true love has to face obstacles. The obstacles coming in the form of past lovers is what the show is about.” Captain of the show, Manu Punjabi added, “Time only would be able to tell how the new relationships shape up.”

The Incredibles-2, Review: The unbelievable Dash of Jack-Jack and Elastigirl

In gestation for a good14 years, a sequel to the 2004 animation cartoon superhero flick, The Incredibles, has been worth the wait. In the story, an evil mind takes control of hapless victims by placing a pair of hi-tech glasses on their faces and makes them do ‘unacceptable’ things. As a parallel, you will be donning 3D glasses to watch Incredibles 2, a totally acceptable, mandatory need that the format demands. 3D or no 3D, Incredibles 2 is immensely watchable.

After unsuccessfully preventing villain Underminer from robbing Metroville Bank using a giant vacuum cleaner and escaping in spite of a stiff fight put up by the Parr family (Bob, Helen, Violet, Dash and Frozone (Lucius Best), the authorities become concerned over the level of damage caused by the incident. As a result, Rick Dicker (names, I tell you!) informs the Parr family that his department's ‘Super Relocation’ programme is being shut down, forcing supers across the world to permanently adhere to their secret identities, and he relocates the family to a motel, for a final two weeks. Soon thereafter, Bob and Helen, are contacted by Winston Deavor, through family friend Frozone, who can turn atmospheric moisture and water into ice. Deavor is a superhero fan, telecommunications tycoon, and owner of DEVTECH. He proposes a publicity stunt, to regain the general public's support of supers all over the world. His late father was a great superhero fan, and this gesture is a tribute to his memory.

Helen Parr, is selected to undertake the stunt by openly fighting crime in New Urbem, under her old identity of Elastigirl. Deaver and his techie genius sister Evelyn choose her because she has not been in the limelight as much as Bob. As part of the plan, Winston provides the family with a new home. Bob offers to take care of the three kids (including infant Jack-Jack), while Helen is away. During her absence, Bob discovers that Jack-Jack has various super powers, but struggles with controlling the infant. Seeking help, Bob takes Jack-Jack to Edna Mode, a family friend and superhero-costume designer, who initially refuses to help until she sees the baby's superpowers in action. Meanwhile, during her mission, Helen confronts the Screenslaver (very punny)--a mysterious villain who hijacks TV screens, in order to project hypnotic images that can brainwash civilians. Screenslaver takes control of an engine-driver first, forcing him to run a newly inaugurated elite train service in reverse, and then gets into the brain of a pizza delivery boy, as part of a plot to assassinate a visiting ambassador.

Dazzling special effects coupled with infantile comedy turn out to be a great mix for this PIXAR production, released by Disney. Although all the characters get ample space in this 118-minute romp, it’s the kids that have the most cute (is there are better word?) and most funny scenes. Dash is Bird’s tribute to Flash, among the comic heroes my generation grew-up on. By comparison, Frozone, modelled after his real-life personality Samuel L. Jackson, is short-changed. There’s tons of ice being manufactured at lightning speed by Frozen….oops, FROZONE, but most of it is in vain. The violence is never ghastly or gory, so kids under 12 too would find it wholesome and palatable. And adults can marvel at the myriad animated planes on which a slickly executed narrative is mounted.

Well, the story is not hypnotic by a mile, but provides requisite plot points to weave in twists and turns. And as is the wont of most superhero and action films, the action takes place on roads (super bike/supercar), skyscrapers (elasticity doing a Spiderman/Batman), water (ship) and aeroplane.

Listen carefully to the voice of Edna Mode, which belongs to writer-director Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Tomorrowland).  What a delight! Also note that Michael Bird (eldest son of Brad) is the voice Tony Rydinger, young Violet's nascent love interest. Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell and Samuel L. Jackson, reprise their roles from the first film, while newcomers to the cast include Huck Milner, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener and Jonathan Banks. Cinematography by Mahyar Abousaeedi (camera) and Erik Smitt (lighting) is first rate, as is editing by Stephen Schaffer. Music is scored by Michael Giacchino, who had worked on the music for the franchise’s previous film. Giacchino sure nurses a soft corner for James Bond’s notes, musical that is. But the sound-track works fine.

A seven minute short titles Bao is clubbed with this feature. While Bao (Portuguese/Mandarin for a stuffed kneaded dough dumpling, a bit like ‘pao’ in Hindi) is a rather well-made film, there seems to be no obvious connection between the two. Unless, of course, some good Samaritan is promoting its viewing, since seven-minute shorts would not find many screening opportunities.

The film is dedicated to the memory of animator and voice actor Bud Luckey, who died in February 2018.

Incredibles 2 is ideal medicine to chase away your blues. Do take children along, even if it is just one child, and if there’s none around, awaken the one that sleeps in your sub-conscious and watch it with him/her. That will cost you only one ticket.

Rating ****

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5qOzqD9Rms

ConnecTechAsia/CommunicAsia 2018, II: Hughes News

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, announced at CommunicAsia 2018, Singapore, June 26-28, that it has been selected by Mutiara (which translates as Pearl) Smart Senderian Berhad (Private Limited), a leading provider of network telecommunication and IT services in Malaysia, to deploy the JUPITER™ System bring enterprise-grade, managed network services to Malaysian government and defence agencies.

The Hughes solution selected by Mutiara Smart includes the HG220 JUPITER Gateway, remote terminals, and a network management system to deliver both C- and Ku-band capacity from two satellites cost-effectively, across all of Malaysia. The system features enhanced networking technology for increased efficiencies, as well as a 5IF interface capable of supporting multiple bands and transponders across, up to five satellites, ensuring future scalability.

“We were impressed by the ability of the Hughes JUPITER System to provide the high quality of service that our customers demand,” said Richard Alwani, chief business officer, Mutiara Smart. “We chose Hughes as our trusted partner because their advanced satellite technology has proven to be reliable and will serve the needs of our government customers as we work to become the leading ICT provider in Malaysia. Through this relationship, we’re excited to bring innovation and digital transformation to our customers.”

“We welcome Mutiara Smart to the class of leading operators around the globe that have deployed the JUPITER System, which has been engineered to service multiple market sectors where scalability, quality of service and security are of utmost importance,” said Ramesh Ramaswamy, senior vice president and general manager for the International Division at Hughes Network Systems. “Hughes is proud to have been selected to support Mutiara Smart in delivering services to government and defence agencies and we look forward to helping them grow their network managed service offering.”

The initial order includes a hub and 200 remote terminals, expected to expand significantly over two years.

About Mutiara Smart Sdn Bhd

Mutiara Smart is a Government Owned Company (GOC) under the Ministry of Finance and offers various ICT infrastructures, products, services and solutions to address the needs of its customers. Mutiara Smart is in Telecommunications, Defence & IT Security, IT Outsourcing and Oil and Gas related services. Mutiara Smart has been among the top providers of computers to the government agencies in Malaysia and has achieved several significant milestones in the ICT industry. Among others, we were the first Intel OEM in South East Asia and the first Microsoft OEM in Malaysia. It has evolved and diversified to focus on the new spectrum of Information Technology, and lead the industry by providing cutting-edge technologies. Moving

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in broadband satellite technology and services for home and office. Its flagship high-speed satellite Internet service is HughesNet®, the world’s largest satellite network, with over 1.2 million residential and business customers, across the Americas. For large enterprises and governments, the company’s HughesON® managed network services provide complete connectivity solutions employing an optimised mix of satellite and terrestrial technologies.

The JUPITER™ System is the world’s most widely deployed High-throughput Satellite (HTS) platform, operating on more than 20 satellites by leading service providers, delivering a wide range of broadband enterprise, mobility and cellular backhaul applications. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 7 million terminals to customers in over 100 countries, representing approximately 50 percent market share, and its technology is powering broadband services to aircraft around the world.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes operates sales and support offices worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), a premier global provider of satellite operations.

About EchoStar

EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS) is a premier global provider of satellite communication solutions. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., and conducting business around the globe, EchoStar is a pioneer in secure communications technologies through its Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business segments. For more information, visit www.echostar.com.

ConnecTechASia/CommunicAsia 2018, III: PSN Indonesia selects Hughes JUPITER 

PSN of Indonesia has selected Hughes Network Systems, LLC’s JUPITER system to enable Broadband Services throughout Indonesia, it was announced in Singapore on 27 June. It will operate over the PSN VI High-Throughput satellite.

Hughes, the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services, has been selected by PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), the oldest private telecommunication and information service provider in Indonesia, to provide the JUPITER™ system for broadband services. (Nusnatara means in between the archipelago or across the archipelago). The comprehensive Hughes solution includes HG240 Gateways, a variety of remote terminals, and a central network management system, enabling PSN to deliver satellite broadband services to consumers and businesses across Indonesia.

The JUPITER system features enhanced networking capabilities and supports speeds up to 300 Mbps to an individual terminal. Powering HughesNet™, the number-one satellite Internet service in the world, with 1.2 million subscribers, the JUPITER System is an ideal solution to support the high-growth potential of the PSN broadband offering. It incorporates a central network management system for efficient bandwidth allocation across multiple beams, and operational control of remote terminals. 

“PSN required a robust and scalable ground architecture to support the volume of users and traffic that we expect to serve with PSN VI,” said Adi Rahman Adiwoso, Chief Executive Officer at PSN. “Thanks to our long-standing relationship with Hughes and the proven capabilities of the JUPITER System, we look forward to serving the growing data needs of customers in all corners of Indonesia.”

In 2017, Internet user penetration in Indonesia was only 39.7 percent, leaving approximately six million Indonesia households without Internet connectivity. With its PSN IV and the JUPITER system, PSN will deliver high-speed Internet access, including Wi-Fi hotspots, helping bridge the digital divide in Indonesia, reaching unconnected households and businesses throughout the region.

“The features, performance and efficiency of our Hughes JUPITER System set us apart,” said Ramesh Ramaswamy, senior vice president and general manager, International Division at Hughes. “We are delighted to offer a high level of reliability and scalability to PSN in support of their effort to bring satellite broadband to their customers and to help close the digital divide across Indonesia.”

About PSN

PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN), is the first private satellite telecommunications company in Indonesia and was established in 1991. PSN provides various telecommunication and multimedia solutions. From a humble beginning as a lessor of satellite transponder, PSN has grown to become a full-range satellite telecommunications provider.

PSN provides data communication service through satellite for the cellular, banking, plantation, and other industries, through its VSAT or SCPC technology. PSN also provides data connectivity to institutions and retail customers throughout Indonesia. PSN is also known as one of the five satellite operators in Indonesia, and pioneered the innovation of extending satellite life-span.

Sarkaar Haazir Ho, Review:Unstirredandunshaken

Sarkaar is a Hindi/Urdu word that means Sire/Madam/government, depending on the context it is used in. It is also a common surname among the Bengali community, where it is pronounced Shorkaar. In this court-room, it is the surname of the family which is at the epicentre of a double murder.

Sarkaar Haazir Ho, which translates as Sarkaar ‘may be produced in court’, is a sensationalised title that lends itself to a belief that it could be a film that puts the Indian government in the dock, and the film faced certification hurdles on this count. That development caused a four month delay in its release, till the misgivings proved to be false.

Inspirations galore dot Sarkaar Haazir Ho. The title also reminds you of a TV serial of the late 80s, called Mujrim Haazir and a series of films said to be loosely inspired by a late political leader, titled Sarkaar. Coming to the plot, it is transparently based on two sensational, real-life murder cases, that of Aarushi Talwar and her servant, and that of teenager Sheena Bora. Whereas the Aarushi case is now slipping into history, the Sheena Bora case, wherein her mother, step-father and driver are the main accused, is still current. Two English films have also ‘contributed’ to the scenario, A Few Good Men and Ouija. Having set-up such a mish-mash récipe, director Pandit Pradeep Vyas makes a cocktail concoction, unstirred and unshaken, which is very hard to swallow.

A sensational murder case, of just under 18 years old Juhi (Karisma Kanwar) and her family servant Hemant (N.K.Pant), has come to the court. They were both killed in Juhi’s house, on the same night. After initial investigations by a bumbling Police Inspector, Arvind (Naveen Sharma), Juhi’s parents Sukesh (a dentist, played by Prithvi Zutsi) and Indira (Anupama Sharma), are considered to be guilty of both murders, based on circumstantial evidence. Whether they are guilty or not is yet to be proven, but there are many deep and dark secrets in the Sarkaar family, and many a skeleton in their cupboards.

Juhi and her mother Indira Sarkaar (Anupama Sharma)’s relationship was sour. Indira had married several times, and her step-son, Sagar (Manoj Malhotra), and her daughter Juhi from an earlier marriage) wanted to get married, something that would surely create a scandal. Among the other possible murder suspects are Slim Kumar (Shashi Ranjan), the dentist’s compounder and Sejal (Sandhya Raj), the Sarkars’ maid. After Crime Investigation Department (CID) Inspector Rathi (Anand Rathore) has done his job, the matter is argued in the court, of a judge (played by Hemant Sharma).

More than half the film is set in the court. The two lawyers passionately arguing the case are Sajan (Amyt Kumar/defence) and Sheetal (Arti Joshi/prosecution). Conveniently, Sagar has a long-standing crush on Sheetal, who has since married and is now a widow. The judge behaves inconsistently. Most of the time, he is the stock-in-trade justice dispenser, but occasionally, he gets into farcical comedy. In fact, a long-winded riddle-cum-joke that I first read some 50 years ago is played out by Sheetal and the judge. Having had too much of the other stuff already, the Central Board of Film Certification has ordered the muting of the two punch lines. Funnily enough, the makers have retained the joke, which, therefore, becomes a headless…or rather tailless…wonder.

Since it was launched, the film has had two significant changes: the original financer backed out and writer-producer-director Pandit Pradeep Vyas replaced the lyric writer, in a fourth role. Of the two songs, one goes ‘Kissam kissa ho gayaa, ishqam ishqa ho gayaa’. While to those who appreciate good poetry in film songs, these words might sound atrocious, the song is neither any better nor any worse than the stuff that often passes these days as a song.

Pandit Vyas is obviously a real life priest, judging by the clothes and accessories he wore at the press preview of the film. Beyond the fact that there were many familiar ingredients, I wonder what he saw in Bina Puglia’s concept that could lend itself to interesting cinema. It is almost certain that Vyas has no previous experience in the medium, though his dialogue are just about average,with a near judicious mix ofHindiand Urdu. Sarkaar Haazir Ho should prove the beginning of a learning curve for him, that is, if he is interested in pursuing this career at all.

All the actors perform as it they are waiting for the director to give them instructions. Prithvi Zutsi is tentative while Anupama Sharma tends to get unconvincingly hysterical. Both keep staring blankly here and there and at the ground, when asked pointed questions. That may be in keeping with their characters, but the writer and director needed to create some novelty in the boring routine. Arti Joshi gets puffed up too often and her emotions distort her bony face.

Amyt Kumar is passable, Manoj Malhotra is awkward. Karishma Kanwar tries hard to exude oomph, with limited success. N.K. and Shashi Ranjan turn in some good work, apparently improvising on the script. Ramesh Goel is the only film veteran in the cast, which is almost entirely picked from television serials. Sandhya Raj does not fit the role while poor Anand Rathore has only one scene. Routine support comes from Pooja Dixit and Sushama Kale, to a cast that has four actors with the surname Sharma—the other two being Rekha and Navin. Pandit Vyas puts in a longish cameo himself.

However much you might be called to be Haazir Ho at the nearest theatre showing this film, you are better off remaining ghair-haazir (absent) from Sarkaar Haazir Ho.                                                                                                                                 

Rating: * ½

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6ih782R0wA

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Wassup the ante

Ant-Man 2 begins while Scott Lang is under house arrest by the FBI, some two years after he interfered with Captain America’s mission in Germany. That is in perfect sync with Ant-Man 1, which was released in 2015. Part 2 features expanding and shrinking ants, wasps that fly at fabulous speeds and a woman who suffers from 'ghost syndrome', which makes her body density change from visible to almost invisible and again visible, in milliseconds. There is considerable talk about quantum, but you’ll go back after having enjoyed a decent quantum of thrilling fun.

Lasting just under two hours, the Marvel Comics Universe franchise film’s plot consists of Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) grappling with the consequences of his choices, as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), with an urgent new mission. All along, he has to honour his confinement and play ‘grandma’ to his daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson), who he gets to see only occasionally, since his wife Maggie (Judy Greer) has remarried Jim Paxton (Bobby Canaveral) and has custody of their girl.

A short recap of Ant-Man 1 is in order: In 1987, Janet van Dyne (the original Wasp/Michelle Pfeiffer) shrinks between the molecules of a Soviet nuclear missile, disabling it, but becoming trapped in the sub-atomic quantum realm (physics students please translate for your friends and family). Hank Pym (Ant-Man) raises their daughter Hope alone, believing that Janet is dead. Former criminal Scott Lang takes up the mantle of Ant-Man and discovers a way to both enter and return from the quantum realm. Pym and Hope begin work on repeating this feat, believing they may find Janet alive. Lang and Hope also start a subtle romantic relationship, and begin training to fight together as Ant-Man and the Wasp, until Lang secretly helps Captain America, during a skirmish between the Avengers, in violation of the Segovia Accords. Lang is placed under house arrest, while Pym and Hope go into hiding and cut ties with Lang.

Two years later (now), Pym and Hope briefly manage to open a tunnel to the quantum realm. Lang receives an apparent ‘message’ in a dream, from Janet, with whom he is quantum (neologism, for sure) entangled. Despite having only days left of house arrest, Lang decides to call Pym. Hope kidnaps Lang, leaving a decoy giant ant in his place with Lang’s FBI monitor attached to its foot, so as not to arouse suspicion from FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park). Seeing the message as confirmation that Janet is alive, Pym and Hope work to create a stable tunnel, so they can take a vehicle to the quantum realm and retrieve Janet.

Hope arranges to buy a part needed for the tunnel from black market dealer Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) , but Burch has realised the potential profit that can be earned from Pym and Hope's research and double-crosses them, striking a deal with a rogue FBI agent. Hope fights Burch and his men off, until she is attacked by a quantum unstable masked woman. Lang tries to help fight off this ‘ghost’, but she escapes with Pym's portable lab, which he had shrunk for safety. The woman is later revealed to be Ava Starr (Hannah John-Kaman), whose father, Elias (Michael Carvers), used to work for Pym. Pym seeks help from his former partner, and now sworn enemy, Bill Foster (Laurence Fishbone).

Paul Rudd has contributed to the screenplay and gets last billing among four penmen. Three more writers were employed: Gabriel Ferrari & Andrew Barrer and Chris McKenna. Ferrari and Barrer have been a team for some time now, with several drafts and speculative scripts. Ant-Man and the Wasp is their first big break. Ferrari has worked on The Lego Batman Movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.

McKenna wrote the jokes for Captain America: Winter Soldier. Perhaps the punches in Ant-Man 2--like Rudd saying, “Do you guys have to prefix every line with ‘quantum’?” , him abbreviating Captain America to “Cap”, and the passing the buck rap number picturised lip sync on half a dozen members of the cast in succession--are his handiwork. Humour in this film is judiciously mixed, coming in just when the going gets too ‘physicscal’, and never going over-board.

Peyton Reed directs. He is known for comedy films he helmed, like Down with Love, Yes Man, Bring It On, The Break-Up, as well as Ant-Man 1. Quite naturally, the humour is palpable. But there is also a generous dose both of feel-good and tear-jerking stuff, including single parenting and the plight of two women—Janet and Ava--doomed to an existence that no human being would wish upon herself.

He has a cast that is on par with many a top heavy adventure drama, and except for Michael Douglas looking out of sorts, they all deliver convincing sketches. You can fault Ant-Man 2 on many counts, but then you would have to come out of your ‘suspension of disbelief mode’, Part n^n, which will kill all the fun. Size has rarely been used so effectively and on a couple of occasions, the quantum leap (pargon the jardon) is likely to have audiences applauding.

Paul Rudd, at 48, adopts a dead-pan expression that helps him take-off into role-play at the drop of a hat, like in the scene where he is seemingly possessed by Janet, and the ‘quantum’ joke. He has a broad visage, and the technique works fine. Evangeline Lilly as is gutsy and practical in equal measure, with just that touch of romance, stepping into her mother’s shoes, with élan, and pulling up Paul for the mess he created in Germany. Michael Peña, who was Lang's former cellmate and a member of his X-Con Security crew, gets to rap on a truth serum, which then extends to other members of the cast. Ludicrous? Humorous! Bobby Cannavale, a talent to watch, is once again wasted. I have a feeling that he must have had a longer part that fell victim to editorial scissors.

Here comes Hannah John-Kamen, and a plethora of expressions and, with speaking eyes to boot. A discovery, for sure. Abby Ryder Fortson fits the role of a pre-teens doting daughter her doting father, and holds her own among the adults. Chinky features do not deter Randall Park from putting in a witty line here and there. Michelle Pfeiffer, with those orb like eyes, is a veteran and up to the task. Laurence Fishburne is easily himself, and, FYI, the younger Fishburne is played by his son, Langston (and poor me was under the impression that this is Laurence, with a wig)!

Michael Douglas, at 73 going on 74, shows signs of aging and frailty, though his high-pitch delivery remains the same. The scene, wherein he feigns heart illness, to deceive Foster maybe unethical or immoral, but it’s a clever ploy. Walter Goggins is sinister. Divian Ladwa is Uzman, the truth serum man, who hates calling his drug that. Stan Lee, co-creator of the titular heroes at Marvel comics and a producer on all its franchise movies, has, always, a cameo. He recalls the 60s, as his car gets shrunk by accident.

In a mid-credits scene...c’mon, see it yourself!

Rating: *** ½

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUkn-enk2RU

Soorma, Review: Bio-pick

Diljit Dosanjh pours his heart into a dream role, and director Shaad Ali inspires the cast to turn a real-life, touching tale of a star hockey player into a rivetting bio-pic. Even if the writers have deviated from incidents and facts (we call it cinematic licence), it all jells together into a highly convincing drama that survives a 132-minute run and stays with you for even after a full 24 hours and more.

Soorma (not to be confused with surma, which is applied in the eyes, like kohl) is a Hindustani word that means brave warrior. A film was made many years ago by actor Jagdeep, in which he named himself after his character in Sholay, Soorma Bhopali. Soorma Bhopali was a coward con-man, and the name was kept to convey sheer irony. In the present film, the word Soorma is not quite apt, considering it is the tale of a hockey player, and not a soldier, policeman or vigilante. The only real act of bravery he indulges in is his determined effort to recover from paralysis. Anyway, that’s a minor point.

Soorma tells the story of the international hockey player and later captain, Sandeep Singh, who was accidentally injured in his back by a bullet that left him paralysed, waist down. Fighting against all odds, Sandeep got back on his feet and made a comeback to international hockey in 2008. India won the 2009 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup under his captaincy and went on to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

The first half is devoted to a growing Sandeep Singh’s infatuation and fixation on Harpreet Kaur, a girl in his native Shahbad, who is training to become a national hockey player. Sandeep’s own brother, Bikramjeet is a good hockey player, so he too joins the training camp, only to be ridiculed and punished severely by his coach, who strongly believes in ‘spare the rod and spoil the child’. Gradually, he drifts away from hockey, until his family recognises his potential and finds ways to get him into the National Institute of Sports in Patiala. The family is a lower middle class unit, and success in hockey will get Sandeep a job and the family a much needed new home, not to mention the girl who rules his heart.

Well, it works. Bikramjeet discovers that Sandeep has a natural flair for a hockey scoring move, called drag flick, which can fox goal-keepers and ensure goals. Nothing can deter Sandeep now. He makes it to the national team and wins them game after game. On the field, he plays even with a broken nose. But it is off the field that an injury he sustains spells doom. He slips into coma, recovers after a few days, and, to his utter dismay, discovers that he is paralysed, waist down. Instead of standing by his side, Harpreet moves to London, hurting his ego, and encouraging him to participate in a major recovery routine, on the rebound. This includes an expense of Rs.3.5 million (huge amount at that time) and six months at a rehab centre in Europe. Luckily for him, his benefactor, the Chairman of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), who chose him for the team in the first place, makes all arrangements and meets all expenses. Miraculously, he is cured, fully recovered, and rarin’ to go.

Three writers have contributed to the screenplay: Ali himself, Siva Ananth, his old friend from the days when both were assisting Mani Ratnam, and Suyash Trivedi, who has largely worked in TV. In terms of basic plot, the story has a premise similar to Ratnam’s Dil Se, wherein a terrorist falls in love with a radio jockey and he is willing to sacrifice everything for this love. They do not sugar coat the bitter truth that he is no patriotic nationalist who has hockey, and only hockey, on his mind. Rather, he is a crazy lover who is doing all this primarily to impress the girl’s mother and brother.

Yes, there is the stereo-typical taskmaster of a local coach who hates his guts and the connoisseur of a counterpart at the national level who sees tremendous potential and trains him to perfection. Stencilesque? Well, it is a true story. Likewise, there is many a situation that appears common or beaten, but it is the writing that raises it to natural, honest levels. While on the plusses, here’s a minus: enough of the thoko (knock), phodo (burst), todo (break) boasts and other similar ‘encouraging’ slogans. We all know that hockey is a rough game and the players are wont to mouth profanities. These terms are halfway, neither here nor there, and get you to go “not again”!

Obviously, Chitrangada saw the makings of a Laila-Majnu, Sheereen-Farhaad, Sassi-Punnu, Vamiq-Uzra, Heer-Ranjha and Romeo-Juliet romantic saga, blended with success in India’s national game’s triumphs in international hockey, as a sure fire formula to reach the audiences mind-field. In the writers-director team and the actors, she has found an honesty that is not too common among makers who want to just cash-in on biopics.

Shaad Ali puts his hands on the pulse of the audience and shows only two matches in some detail: India v/s Pakistan, a country that has won some big medals in its time, but is seen as the quintessential Indian enemy, in cricket as well as hockey. Two examples of humour coming in where it is least expected happen on field. Humour also dots the childhood antics and tribulations of Sandeep, when he is punished for bringing samosas on his coach’s orders from the wrong brother’s shop, even though the shop is actually one and the brothers merely man different windows.

Diljit Dosanjh (Udta Punjab, Phillauri, Welcome to New York) is a blend of Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan, adding his own Punjabi roots to the characterisation. It’s a performance that needs to be applauded. Tapsee Pannu (Baby, Pink, Naam Shabana) as Harpreet has just the figure for a hockey player and just the teasing her beloved shade her persona that keeps Sandeep’s passions simmering, while she hammers home many a home truth with a velvet cover. Physical chemistry, anybody? Angad Bedi (F.A.L.T.U, Pink, Tiger Zinda Hai) as Bikramjeet Singh steals many a scene and this film should and an upward surge to his career-graph.

Three actors in relatively minor roles underplay their parts to perfection: Satish Kaushik as Sandeep’s travelling salesman father, Kulbhushan Kharbanda as the Chairman of the Indian Hockey Federation and Vijay Raaz (Raghu Romeo, Dhamaal, Welcome) as the Bihari Babu school-teacher Harry, who has reached the position of the national coach and who sees in Sandeep a star in the making. Thank god they did not have him doing the narration, a job that really no justice to this gifted actor. That they got Taapsee to narrate is even worse. Danish Hussain gets to play a hideous sadist of a Shahbad coach, Kartar Singh, who feels that all training must be tortuous. Also in the cast are Siddharth Shukla as Harpreet’s brother, Pitobash, Seema Kaushal, Herry Tangiri, Ammar Talwala and Mahabir Bhullar.

Shankar-Ehsan-Loy have done the music, which is largely Punjabi. Though well composed, one number, ‘Good man dee laltain’, gets to become memorable largely because it is sung in parts and at just the right places.

There has been a spate of bio-pics, true to the bone or fictionalised. One was on women’s hockey and was called Chak De! Soorma is not remarkably different from any of them—it is just more human and a shade more natural.

You might notice that Indian Airlines is referred to in the film as Indian Airways. Why on earth? Guess 1: The Central Board of Film Certification objected. Guess 2: There were copyright issues. But it still beats me. Why on earth?

Sony has distributed this film that is in the Hindi language, with a smattering of Punjabi.

Rating: *** ½

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7MwlTFQBEQ

P.S.: Sandeep Singh won an Arjuna Award, given to sportsmen who made significant achievements and is named after the legendary archer from the Mahaabhaarat. In the film, you see him getting the award from India’s then President, Pratibha Patil, in archival documentary footage, with a sudden change of aspect ratio.

Now for a sporting headline from Hindustan Times, dated 22 February 2014: “Sandeep Singh remains India's best drag-flicker, even though he is not in the national team, says Jamie Dwyer, five-time world hockey player of the year. Sandeep was last part of the Indian team in the Hockey World League Round 3 in June 2013.”