nairtejas

ED: Extra Decent took me by surprise as I saw shades of rare black humour in a Malayalam film. The titular moniker is for Suraj Venjaramoodu's character where he dons the hat of the "most dysfunctional" in his small dysfunction family. The attempt at comedy is mostly tired but ED still manages to make you laugh here and there. But what definitely grabs your attention is Suraj's performance as the eccentric and weird grown-up who has scores to settle. I had a ball watching this with my family as we could ask each other if we would ever do something like what the characters in the film do to each other. A good watch!

1917 is a technical achievement, showing us the horrors of World War 1 in first person. Two soldiers are sent to deliver a message to a faction in an attempt to control a sabotage from the Germans, and through that journey, Sam Mendes and his team show what it was like for the people who fought the war. With so many war films out there, 1917 manages to show something new, something heartbreaking, and that has to be lauded. The technical superlatives - those in the camera and sound departments - then are just add-ons. Go, watch it in the biggest screen and the best sound system possible. An almost masterpiece.

With 8 songs running for nearly an hour, Bobby definitely feels long when watching in 2024. A 16-year-old canoodling with a 19-year-old is also a thorn that sticks out of this hugely entertaining drama that has every reason to be called a classic. I am fascinated by Dimple Kapadia's performance here more than anyone else's as it's evident that she put her best into it, whether it's her dialogues or her dancing. Rishi Kapoor looks nervous in the initial sequences but he manages to match Kapadia's energy, and together they succeed in creating a film that's a love letter to today's lovebirds. Was heartening to see Aruna Irani and Farida Jalal as youngsters. A definitely great watch 50 years later.