Hridayam

 Hridayam is a romantic musical with a twist. It stars Pranav Mohanlal, Darshana Rajendran and Kalyani Priyadarshan who are the parts of the love triangle. All the three leads have a magnetic screen presence and have played their roles superbly. The story begins in the college years where the lovers meet and break up only to meet once again at a turn in life.

The best part of the movie is that this is not just about romance. This is a movie that is inspirational and make us think about our life goals. It is a slice of life movie where we change along with the growing years. Somethings that fascinate us when we are younger may not hold the same charm for us as years progress and we have new priorities in life. Throughout life there are people and instances that change us for better or worse. Life, after all, is all about the experiences we have and the people who impact us. 

This story takes us back and forth in different time zones to tell us the story of the two friends who met in college and broke up only to get back together under different circumstances later on in life. The two female leads are truly gorgeous and have their own charm. The male lead is adorable and all of them do a fantastic job with their honest portrayals. The Secret Alley has a mystery of its own. It is a room where the college students are allowed to go only after they graduate. I loved that concept!

What can I say about the location and the music! The background score and the songs were melodious and peppy. All of them were beautifully picturized. The locations were breath-takingly beautiful as they usually are in these Malayalam films. It was specially spectacular when they follow Arun Neelakandan (Pranav Mohanlal) when he is on his travels with his camera for company. This is a heart-felt film with some touching moments. The storyline is engaging and it moves at a steady pace. This is a good movie that you cannot miss. 

Jhimma

 I love travel. I always dream of travelling to far away places. Travelling makes me look at life differently and it also helps me find myself. There is a line in the movie that says that travelling makes the traveller a new person and I agree whole-heartedly. 

The movie Jhimma is a look at a group of women who travel together with a tour company . It takes us along with them to witness their hits and misses and the way they bond together. It makes for a good movie but with a bit of tweaking it could have become a great movie. It is always fun to put many women together and observe them. 

Each one in the movie has a different character to play and they are on the tour with their respective emotional baggage. There are some lovely moments captured among these new found friends and there are some words of wisdom about life. The star cast is amazing but the movie does not live to the expectations. It is quite abrupt in some places and drags in some. It gave me the feeling that the great star cast was a waste here as they were not well-utilized. Of course, it was nice to see them together, yet there was something lacking. 

The best part for me is the virtual tour we have of London. All the locations are tourist destinations of London and I just could not take my eyes away from the beauty of the locations. This movie gave me new travel goals!

As I said there are some things that could have been handled a bit differently in the movie to make it better. The premise of the movie was good. The movie drags in some parts and we feel they could have shown us something more about the characters. This was an OK one time watch but definitely not worth watching in the theatres. 

A Thursday

 The title of the movie A Thursday does not in any way help us understand what this movie is all about. That is like a plus point here as it makes us wonder right from the start as to what we are going to expect here. As the movie progresses, we are drawn into the plot and the mystery deepens. As viewers we keep making different assumptions and that is what makes this a good suspense drama. This is a good thriller with a great climax that is unexpected. 

There are some loopholes in the story yet the story is riveting enough to keep us engaged. Leaving a bit of hamming by some characters, there are some great acting skills on display here. Yami Gautam, Atul Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia are amazing and live the characters they play. Yami Gautam is truly an under-rated actress. She plays the role of Naina Jaiswal, an enterprising kindergarten teacher who runs her playschool called Little Dots. 

The story deals with a rather sensitive topic that has been well-handled with just the right amount of drama. Neha Dhupia is a bit over the top as always but Yami is fantastic as one who resorts to some desperate measures to get herself heard. This is a story that has its moments where we feel the shame of living in the society we do where justice does not exist for some. This is a story that needs to be told. A movie that will make you squirm uncomfortably as it asks some questions that are difficult to answer.  This is surely not a movie for entertainment but one that leaves you with some questions in your mind  about the society  or world we live in. We wonder whether there is going to be an end to such instances. 

Hopefully I did not give away too much in the review as the mystery of the movie is its greatest plus point. Do watch this thriller with a twist. 

REPLY 1988

Reply 1988 is a South Korean television series starring Lee Hye-ri, Ryu Jun- Yeol, Park Bo-gum, Go Kyung-pyo and Lee Dong-hwi. The series is heartfelt and the best two words I can use to describe it is pure and relatable. This series is a slice of life and every episode has its wow moments and lessons that enable us to understand the importance of the bonds we share with out=r family, neighbours and friends. 

Beginning in the year 1988, the story revolves around the life of five friends and their families who live in the Ssangmun-dong neighbourhood. This series is truly addictive and each and every character amazes us. The story line is simple and moves form the past to the present effortlessly and we are given a glimpse of the equations the members share with each other and how circumstances lead to the changes in these equations as the story moves along. The story keeps flitting from the past to the present yet it is not at all confusing in any way. There are some amazing scenes between the characters that stay with us long after the series is over. The neighbourhood and the families living there all grow on you and you become a part of their life .

There are so many romantic, swoon worthy moments and also instances that make us understand what really matters in life. We can relate to all the things that happen and even the characters seem so real and lovable. This series has made me fall in love once again with the irresistible Park Bo-gum who charms us with his controlled acting and his role as an amazing Go Game player but a simpleton who is socially awkward. I just cannot take my eyes off him and keep waiting for him to come on to the screen.

Special mention of Lee Hye-ri and all the others for their outstanding acting skills. We become a part of the lives of these friends and their families. We get to learn about the life in the middle and upper class who are in the same neighbourhood. A lot of thought has gone in selecting the cast, location and many little things have been take into account to make this series the blockbuster it is. Even small things like the bedding, furniture, the clothes and the food the eat give us an insight into the life they live. 

This series is inspiring and uplifting. You cannot miss this one for the innocence. This series is all heart. Do watch this one and you can thank me later.

Tinder Swindler

 Netflix is streaming a film Tinder Swindler which is based on a true story about a conman who duped several women on the dating app Tinder. I watched this one out of curiosity as I had not read about this happening.

The movie tells the story of how a man started duping people of their money in different ways right from his teens. His father was a Rabi and although he was caught and was served a prison sentence , he continued with his underhand ways immediately after his release. 

He was a real charmer and many women who right-swiped  were ensnared with his charming personality. He seemed totally genuine to them and they were bowled over by the rich lifestyle he projected. Fast cars, swanky hotels, good food, great night life, branded clothing and accessories and a pleasing personality was what made the ladies swoon. He was able to project that he was an heir to a diamond family and was stinking rich. To top it , he portrayed himself to a romantic who messaged and called often and kept his lady love aware of his whereabouts. He was always on the move, travelling to different countries and cities on business trips. Soon he was under a cash crunch as he had enemies who were going to harm him.

He convinced the ladies that he could not use his credit card and asked them to lend him the cash he needed. He continued taking large amounts of money from all the different ladies and at the same time he was splurging around all that he had. The ladies trusted him completely and some even took loans to pay him under the impression that he was really in a cash crunch and he would repay them eventually.

It was only after a dedicated journalist came into the picture after joining the dots together and identified the Tinder Swindler. With the help of the women he duped , the conman was caught and charges were pressed. It was a tedious procedure to get him caught but he was .Surprisingly, most of the cases were withdrawn due to lack of evidence and he was let loose after just after 5 months in prison! There were a couple of people working with him in this and none of them were caught. 

He is a free man now and he is still on Tinder and living a rich life even now. A well known model is his girlfriend and he is still on social media splurging money on cars, tours, restaurants and branded clothes. Life goes on as usual for him but for the women he cheated it is a terrible realization. They are still struggling to pay the debts they had taken for their con man lover.

When this case caught the headlines many blamed the women for being gullible fools and too trusting. They were blamed for being lured due to his riches. In their interviews it is clear that everyone is looking for love. A romantic man who was well off and also who had a charming personality and who cared for them were a real catch and too good to be true. They thought they had hit the jackpot with him as such men were hard to find. It is a shame that such conmen roam around freely after causing so much despair to so many women for all these years and the worst part is that there are still women who are crazy about him! After just a brief stint in jail, the 31 year old bogus billionaire Simon Leviev is back living the high life and even runs seminars for wannabe entrepreneurs costing £250 a head. Unbelievable isn't it! He still denies being a fraudster and tries to convince one and all that the women who are fighting the case against him are all just trying to make life hell for him for no reason.