As we come to the end of 2018, a glorious year for Bollywood which saw movies like Raazi, Stree, Badhaai Ho, Andhadhun, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Parmaanu, 102 not out, Mulk, Tumbaad, Bareily ki Barfi, 2.0, Sanju and many more emerging victoriously while movies having major starcast like Race3, Thugs of Hindostan, ZERO failing majorly at the Box Office.

Bollywood Movies 2018

2018 was a year of success where new talents were encouraged and loved by the audience. Actors like Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Vicky Kaushal, Ayushmaan Khurana, Ranbir Kapoor were loved by the audience and equally applauded their work due to their choice of movies and acting skills. These actors were in Bollywood for a long time but these movies gave them recognition and opportunity to portray their skills. Bollywood greats like Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, SRK majorly disappointed with their movies and were rejected by the audience. There were some movies which slipped under the radar like Manto, Soorma, Pari, Hichkki but were loved by the audiences who watched it. Debutants like Sara Ali Khan, Jhanvi kapoor, Ishaan Khatar were also loved by audience and have now generated their own fans. Women oriented movies like Raazi, Veere Di Wedding also came and equally loved by the fans and also dominated at the Box Office. Also this year majorly saw an emergence of web platform like Netflix, Amazon Prime where viewers have to pay and watch movies / web series which are barred from censorship. Sacred Games, Mirzapur, Mowgli, Breathe, Bose are some of the web series which were acclaimed and loved by the audiences. These platforms gave chance to viewers to watch their loved movies at their leisure time at their place and whenever they want. There are more series / movies coming to this platform and will be more loved in the years to come. More and more bollywood actors are going to web platform for the type of work which excites them. Regional movies, post Baahubali are been more loved by the audience. KGF Chapter 1 is such an example where a movie has been appreciated by the movie lovers. Marathi movies like Naal, Cycle, Mumbai Pune Mumbai 3 and many more were been equally loved by the audiences.

New age actors like Kartik Aryan, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Vicky Kaushal, Ayushmaan Khurana, Nawazzuddin Siddiqui are been loved, acclaimed, appreciated by the audience and are eager to watch their new movies which are coming through. 2018 was a breakthrough year for cinema lovers and here's hoping that 2019 will be another breakthrough year for Indian cinema with movies like Uri, Thackrey, DreamGirl, Made in China, Brahmastra and many more upcoming movies to release. So hoping to have a wonderful 2019 movie lovers.

Merry Christmas & Have a Happy New Year 2019..!!!!

Movie/Web series reviewer Mandar Dalvi

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Long wait and finally, the wait is over when we visited Purepur Kolhapur in Vile Parle. This is one place famous for it's Maharashtraian thalis. You will fall in love with the malwani, seafood from this place.

Purepur Kolhapur, Vile Parle

This is a small place so don't think of a very grand ambience. Your soul purpose to visit this place should be the soulful food. We had a wonderful meal.

Mumbai Pune Mumbai 3 (MPM3)
The most loved Marathi franchise "Mumbai Pune Mumbai" comes with the 3rd installment of the series. The 1st installment of the series started of with the story of Gautam who stays in Pune & Gauri who stays in Mumbai starting off their relationship & 2nd installment focused on the various dilematic situations which arise in every person as their marriage nears but eventually getting married with the person you love gives you the best feeling ever. The 3rd installment picks up from where the second one left & shows how their well planned life suffers a lovely setback as they learn that they are about to become parents.

Mumbai Pune Mumbai 3 review

The franchise which started 9 years ago, is the most loved Marathi movie franchise just because of the songs of the movie & most importantly because of the sweet, lovely chemistry between the lead pair Swapnil Joshi and Mukta Barve. MPM3 which thrives mainly on a very simple story and the lead pair's chemistry makes you go through the journey with ease. Despite 2.30 hrs length of the movie, one does not feel bored anywhere and the audience feels involved with every character and the story in the movie. For Swapnil & Mukta, they are at what they do best so it feels they have lived their characters. Their respective family members also have played their part well. Prashant Damle who plays Swapnil's father in the movie have kept the audience cheerful by giving the funniest moments in the film. The animated baby narration adds to the cuteness to the movie as one feels attached to it and also showcases what's going on in their parents mind. Satish Rajwade's direction is also top notch apart from some scenes.

On the whole, MPM3 is a ultimate family movie which goes through smiles & sadness but at the end leaves you with a smile on your face. A feel-good film which wins the audiences hearts. Go for it...!!

Reviewed by Mandar Dalvi

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Planning for a weekend gateway but don't wanna go too far then here's a good option. Why don't you go to Gorai. It is in Borivali and you can get there either by ferry which leaves from Gorai Creek - Borivali West or  else you can go by road through Bhayandar. You can get your bike, scooty as well on the ferry so that's a plus. In case of car, you need to come by road. There are number of hotels, lodges, resorts which you can book. Though it is advised you go to the reliable place to have the best of experience with some wonderful memories to cherish for life.

Sun Beach Resort

Gorai beach - Sun Beach Resort

We had been to Sun Beach Resort. It is bit a distance once you reach by ferry so advisable to come during the day as the night charges by the rickshaw is quite high else best is to get your own vehicle. Avoid taking the Gorai beach route to the hotel during high tide.

They have a huge property which includes -

• Deluxe Rooms
• Swimming Pool
• Basketball court
• Machans
• Children Play area

Never ever thought a movie will be made on a subject as small as Cycle. Cycle, a Marathi movie based on Post Independence Era. An era where people used to believe in goodwill .

Marathi movie - Cycle

A story about Keshav's intense love for his cycle which gets stolen by two thieves Gajya and Mangya. A movie which is very sweet and never loses its sweetness throughout its 90 minutes of the run time. A very simple yet engaging story where even you will fall in love with the negative characters. All the characters are very lovable and the scenic beauty of Konkan adds to the visual treat. Cinematography by Amalendu Chaudhary is wonderful. It really brings out the beauty of Maharashtrian villages in a superb manner. Hrishikesh Joshi, Bhau Kadam & Priyadarshan Jadhav has done justice to their roles and have done wonderful job. Bhau Kadam well known for his comic timing delivers all his dialogues well and leaves you in splits.

Loved this movie and looking forward to more of such movies. Content-driven Marathi cinema has truly evolved a lot. It also gives the message that Goodwill can remove any negativity even if roof falls on one's heads as it does here on one and it should be retained no matter what :)

IMDB Rating of 8.9/10. This Cycle is worth riding and loving for. Worth a watch for sure.

Reviewed by Mandar Dalvi

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Mirzapur  - Web Series (Amazon Prime Video)

Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's latest web series Mirzapur caught everyone's attention with its trailer and finally, the show went on-air on November 16th. Mirzapur, which is the third Amazon Prime original made in India, after Inside Edge and Breathe, boasts a stellar cast comprising of Pankaj Tripathi, Vikrant Massey, Ali Fazal, Divyendu Sharma, Rasika Duggal, Shweta Tripathi & Shriya Pilgaonkar.

Mirzapur - Amazon Prime Video

The story of Mirzapur is about a local drug lord Kaleen Bhaiya (Pankaj Tripathi) whose son Munna (Divyendu) is trying too hard to take his place but doesn't have any of the diplomatic or criminal skills. During an incident, Munna is attacked by two local boys Guddu (Ali Fazal) and Bablu (Vikrant Massey) and hires them as his local goons. The series comprising of 9 episodes and each episode will remind you of Gangs of Wasseypur. The series starts on a dark note and ends in a gripping and shocking way.

Web series - Mirzapur

As far as the performances are, Pankaj Tripathi is magnificient and in his home ground. Be it his nuances, mannerism or the way he delivers lines, it's hard to not be in awe of him. He is truely one of the best actors of modern times and is truely the heart of the series. Vikrant Massey is an underrated actor who has again and again proved that he is an awesome actor in movies like Lipstick under my Burkha, Lootera and many more. He does full justice to the role and plays his part superbly well. The main surprise is Divyendu, who has till date played a boy next door but plays a spoilt evil in Mirzapur with perfection. Ali Fazal also surprises on his part where he delivers a great screen presence as an all brawn and no brain. His physical transformation & body language is truely commendable. Shriya Pilgaokar has good screen presence and plays well. Shweta Tripathi has less screen space but portrays her part well. Rasika Duggal has played her part well as a seductress. It's good to see Kulbhushan Kharbanda in a negative role after ages. The background score is amazing and the cinematography is good too. The only downfall of the series is the 1 hr long episodes and the slow pace of the series where Anurag was master of.

Overall, Mirzapur is an engaging watch and captivates you from start to finish. It is truely gripping, captivating and has high shock value. IMDB Rating  of 8.8/10 truely makes the series worth watching

It has been quite sometime that Hitchki opened at R city, Ghatkopar. Ideal place for all the Vikhroli and Ghatkopar crowd as they had to go all the way to Powai to explore this place and you have another option nearby.

Hitchki, R city - Ghatkopar

The ambiance is very beautiful. We had been to this place during Diwali so it had most of the office goers crowd. As it is newly opened, they are not Zomato Gold Partners unlike the Powai one nor do they have any corporate discount so please make a note of this. Yes, the food is just amazing. Each and every dish that we had, our expectations were totally met.

Another disclaimer, the quantity is not much so be prepared to order good amount of food if you are a larger gang. So, without wasting much time, here you go with the list that you must try -

A) Chana Garlic 65 - A perfect chakna to start with.

Chana Garlic 65

B) Chicken Tikka zafrani - juicy chicken with amazing masala

Chicken Tikka zafrani

C) Mere tandoori momos aayenge (chicken) - yes, that's the name for chicken tandoori momos. They have some innovative, funny names in their menu. This item won most of the hearts on the table so it was ordered again.

Mere tandoori momos aayenge (chicken)

Now, jumping to the main course.
D) Chow mein - Fried rice with gravy. Loved this!

Chow mein

E) Indi Chini bhai bhai - Chicken Manchurian with butter Naan.

Add captionIndi Chin

F) Chicken Dinchak - Kadai masala with bhuna chicken, chura roti and namkeen.

Chicken Dinchak

Thugs of Hindostan (TOH)

Ever since the starcast of the movie was announced, I was eager to watch AB Sr. & AK coming together on big screen but sadly it didn't live up to the expectations & from the first day heard all sorts of negative things and comic memes about the movie. So, I went to watch the movie on backdrop of all negative things heard about it and having watched the movie came out of the theatre feeling that the movie has been over bashed by the critics and audience and the movie surely isn't a masterpiece or a blockbuster but not a worst movie too as there are many worse movies than TOH.

Thugs of Hindostan

From the director of movies like D3 & Tashan, Vijay Krishna Acharya is a director who has failed to deliver good movies despite of getting great actors. Yet again he fails to give justice to the movie due to his poor direction. Coming to acting, Amitabh Bachchan is an actor par brilliance and excellence. The Star of the Millenium has given his 200% to the movie and performed his part brilliantly. His entry scene will surely give you goosebumps and will remind you of "Khuda Gawah". Such is the aura and charm of the person, he has done every bit from performing stunts, dancing to swordfighting with utmost ease at the age of 76. He is surely the hero of the movie who will be remembered for a long time for his role Khudabaksh. Second is Aamir Khan, who said that he acted in the movie simply because he loved his character. He played his role of Firangi Mallah with very ease and utmost grace. He is truely the Thug of the movie and is very hard to believe which side he is on during the movie. The 2 stalwarts of Bollywood have tried their best to save the sinking ship. The comic elements in the movie are very well played by Aamir and truely supported by Zeeshan Ayyub who portrays his friend in the movie. Fatima Sana Shaikh does well in her role as Zafira. Katrina Kaif as usual is used for glamour purpose and is wasted. She barely has 3-4 dialogues in the movie & is only used for 2 songs. Art direction and cinematography is mind blowing. The songs are bad and except "Vashmalle" nothing excites. The CGI is good not great. The action scenes are also beautifully shot, the efforts done by the actors are clearly visible in the fight scenes.

Thugs of Hindostan

Overall the movie is a one time watch because of Amitabh & Aamir and some different style of movie. This movie is not a copy of Pirates of Caribbean but Vijay Krishna Acharya was majorly inspired by it which resulted to the failure of the movie. A movie which could have been a masterpiece becomes an ordinary movie due to the poor direction and the story. IMDB Rating of 3.6/10 is too harsh for the movie.

Reviewed by Mandar Dalvi

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My family at Mini Punjab's Lakeside

Let me go in reverse order this time, so this is the standee that is there at the entrance with nice, funny props. Even before, we could enter the restaurant, my cousin and me decided to click some nice pictures here to have a beautiful end to the evening. Mini Punjab's Lake Side - Powai has got this two floored space where they don't just serve Buffet but also have À la carte. They have something known as Dhara Singh's Thali which has 40+ items but we decided to go for À la carte as per our choice. There's a challenge associated with the thali - if you alone can finish the entire thali then it is free of cost for you but I have read and heard from people that it is difficult for even 4 people to finish it :)
"Life is uncertain so eat dessert first" ;) is the quote my dad is holding which is really appropriate for him as he can eat a lot of sweets. Maybe equivalent to what my mom, brother and I can :D So, like I mentioned earlier, I'm starting in reverse order so here's what we had.

RK Wine and dine - Also known as Radha Krishna wine and dine is one amazing restaurant in the LBS road, close to Ghatkopar station next to Sarvodaya hospital.

The first and foremost warning for everyone would that there's long waiting for this restaurant if you visit during the peak timings so better reach early to get place  This place not just has amazing food but is decently priced too. That's the reason it is always crowded and why wouldn't it?

We visited this place on a Sunday evening and had to wait for almost an hour, I know ridiculous but food was something that pulled us to this place. Fortunately when we ordered and had food, it was worth the wait. We ordered -
A) Chicken Lollipop - The best! The craving is still there.

Chicken lollipop

B) Dum kebab - This is like reshmi kebab but in dum style. The masala in it tasted amazing.

Dum kebab

C) Saibo chicken - Perfect for a larger group. Crispy and yummy like a perfect pop.

Saibo chicken

D) Chicken Balti - Gravy for the main course in green with boneless chicken good to have with chapati, Naan etc.

Chicken Balti and special roti

E) Chicken hot garlic pot rice - Getting a pot rice in an ordinary restaurant is rare and therefore having this option here was cherry on the cake. Most importantly, it was tasty and loaded with chicken.

Chicken hot garlic pot rice

All having all these delicious food, there wasn't any space left for desserts.

So, that's how it was a wonderful dinner with my people. Good food, good company = 100% satisfaction and a perfect weekend 😊

P.S. - Just to reiterate, this place has huge waiting so please reach early as they don't take prior booking during weekends.

Badhaai Ho (2018)

When you come out of the theatre watching Badhaai Ho, you will truely love your family more. A movie which is pure at heart, simple yet very lovable. As the title specifies, this movie is about celebration of a beautiful family and its members who stand by it whatever circumstances be. 2018 is a year which has given a list of content driven movies and have succeeded in it, Badhaai Ho adds to the list.

Badhai ho movie review

Nakul's (Ayushmaan Kuranna) family resembles a perfect happy Punjabi family until the "tragedy" happens when Nakul's mother (Neena Gupta) get pregnant on her late 50s. For sure Nakul, his brother and his grandma everyone starts blaming her and his husband (Gajraj Rao) for being careless. And this story spread like flame and they all started feeling embarresed on the society. What happens next forms the rest of the movie.

The whole movie is very well told with situational humour which keeps you entertained and also some emotional scenes which also brings tears to your eyes. Director Amit Sharma who comes from the forgettable "Tevar" does a good job in conveying the message to the audience. Ayushmaan Khurana, an actor par excellence who always experiments in different roles delivers yet another fantastic performance mainly with his expressions. Sanya Malhotra also gives an effortless performance after "Pataakha". The true charmers of the movie are the masterful Gajraj Rao, the queen of nuances Neena Gupta & the very "young" grandmother Surekha Sikri. Gajraj Rao has given a stellar performance and has played with the expressions so well. With his finely tuned performance, aced with funny mannerisms and slight shifts in expressions he robs everyone else of their equally erudite performances. Neena Gupta also delivers a superb performance and plays her part to perfection. Next in line is veteran actress Surekha Sikhri who eats into the role and delivers an organic performance of a unyielding but liberal grandmother.The writers also take the credit for the dialogues and are very impressive.

Movie Review - Badhai Ho

While watching Badhaai Ho, you will truely remember the line from the animated movie "Coco" that "Family is above everything". It is a movie which will make you laugh and cry at the same time and will make you feel the importance of family. The delicate issue of pregnancy in the late 50's and societal stigma that comes with it has been brilliantly handled and portrayed. Overall Badhaai Ho is a must watch for all movie lovers.

Reviewed by Mandar Dalvi

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One word: M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E

Manto, a film by Nandita Das, is a biopic on the Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto who lived during the era of 1940's. A biopic on someone whom we dont know but a person who was known to write about the hard truths of society that no one dared to talk about. He is best known for his stories about the partition of India immediately following independence in 1947. Manto was a Kashmiri and moved to "Bombay" during his 20's. Started as a journalist for film magazine and for radio and also wrote scripts, but none of his movies did well. He then started writing on different subjects which examined very sensitive topics like sex work & religion in a period when India was even more prudish than today.

Manto review

This film depicts his life especially during the late 1940's and post Independence era along with the partition time with five of his most famous and poignant short stories: "Dus Rupay", "100-Watt Bulb", "Khol Do", "Thanda Gosht" and "Toba Tek Singh". It narrates his life through these stories. Director Nandita Das has beautifully crafted these stories into Manto's life and portrayed it. She deserves each and every bit of applause and accolades for the way she has depicted the various events, its contexts in Manto's life through his works. The movie takes you to a journey of the pre and post Independence time and beautifully showcases Bombay & Lahore during those times. Kartik Vijay's cinematography justifies the feel and era of the film. It is painful to watch the film since it covers the reality. The tragedy is that things have not changed much even after seven decades of freedom.

Words are very hard to express the simplicity and gracefully Nawazuddin Siddiqui has portrayed the titular role. He has truely lived Manto and made it his own. While watching him on screen, one will forget the fact that he is Nawaz and will see and feel his pain, anger, trauma as Manto. Rasika Duggal as Safia, Manto's wife is truely commendable in her part and has excelled throughout in the movie. Tahir Raj Bhasin (Mardaani fame) as Shyam, Manto's friend has once again shown the amount of potential he has and delivered a great performance. This movie has a great ensemble cast which comprises of greats like Rishi Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Javed Akhtar who prove their calibre by displaying brilliant acting in limited screenspace. Each and every character played by Tahir Raj Bhasin, Shashank, Rajashri Deshpandey, Ranvir Shory, Divya Dutta, Vinod Nagpal, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Ila Arun, Paresh Rawal, Tilotama Shome, Gurdas Mann, Bhanu Uday has given their best making the movie a beautiful journey in itself.The music strikes the right chord with the heart. The much famous lyrics of Faiz Ahmed Faiz - "Bol Ke Lab Azaad Hain" is beautifully sung by Vidhya Shah and Rashid Khan.

Watch this for brilliant performances, gutsy direction & writing, a never seen before Mumbai and hardships of a man who chose to portray the truth in his style. If you are a true movie lover, who loves to watch movies with great performances and a good story Manto is the movie you will love to go.

Reviewed by Mandar Dalvi

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One Word: ASTONISHING

What is Life? It is based on the LIVER. Surely, the quote said above will not impact you much until you finish watching the movie.

Sriram Raghavan, a man with the Midas Touch in dishing out twisty neo-noir (french word for creating crime movies of the 1940's with twisted dark wit) from Ek Hasina Thi (2004), Johnny Gaddar (2007) and now the recently released Andhadhun. A movie which will keep you guessing about what is coming up next and will keep you glued to the seat till last minute. Inspired by a French short film L'Accordeur or The Piano Tuner (2010) by Olivier Treiner, AndhaDhun is a nerve-racking tale of fear, deceit and crime, that keeps you on the edge of your seat as it teases your mind.

Andhadhun - Movie Review

The storyline of the movie is simple, where a blind pianist Akash (Ayushmaan Khurana) is living his normal life of completing a tune which is not getting completed meets Sophie (Radhika Apte). In a turn of events he meets a famous and old Bollywood actor Pramod Sinha (Anil Dhawan) and offers Akash a private concert for him and his wife Simi(Tabu) for their wedding anniversary. When Akash reaches their home, Pramod Sinha is already murdered and he witnesses some activity related to murder. His conscience urges him to report the crime he has technically not ‘witnessed’, but is there more to him than meets the eye?

Andhadhun

The story and its execution is the true highlight of the movie. The twists and turns happen in such a eventful manner that one cannot miss it with a blink of the eye. Ayushmaan Khurana is definately one of the great and underrated actors of the generation. He delivers one of his best performance till date and lives to the character. His choices of movies and the genre of his movies he chooses makes him a great actor from Vicky Donor to Andhadhun. Tabu, an actress par brilliance. Her acting skills are aptly utilised and she delivers a fantastic performance. Anil Dhawan whom one can see after a long time has acted his part well along with Zakir Hussain as Dr. Swami, Ashwini Kalsekar as Rasika, Manav Vij as Inspector Manohar, Chaya Kadam as Maushi. Radhika Apte has limited screen space and she has also played it to her forte.  Applause should be given to the director Sriram Raghvan who has thought of such a movie and created a masterpiece in itself. This cinematic experience will not let you stay back in your seat relaxed. Crisp editing grips you.Cinematography is something that boasts the storytelling.Tribute to Chayahar & Chitrageet is something that needs applaud. Piano scenes are superbly crafted and choreographed , underlined by Amit Trivedi's music and Daniel B George's background score Befitting the title - Andhadhun.

So grab the ticket and be a part of this eventful journey. Andhadhun shouldnt be missed. With IMDB rating of 9.2/10, Andhadhun is truely one of the best movies of 2018.

Reviewed by Mandar Dalvi

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Lucknowee is amongst those restaurants that will take you to the land of nawabs. They are specialised in Awadhi, Mughlai & Sufi cuisine. It is said that Lucknowee people are hard core foodies so why shouldn't I give it a try because I'm a foodie too.

This place is on the LBS Road towards left opposite Hotel Sahara. It looks quite rich in it's appearance that it can't go unnoticed and when you read Tunday kebab  definitely you will look twice to know if you read it well. They have a sober ambiance along with very courteous staff.

Jumping to our favorite part..
Food - Lucknowee's are very fond of Tunday kebab and therefore the speciality of this place too happens to be the same. So, we decided to try this. It is made up of 160 spices - very tasty, soft and succulent as their Captain Mr. Roney suggested. Do try this amazing kebab, I bet you will thank me! There's a nice story behind the name as well which I will let you know in couple of days so subscribe to my blog by providing your email address on the right side box.

Lucknowee Tunday kebab

Lucknowee Paratha - This wasn't like the usual thick parathas which would become like rubber. Instead, it was thin, crisp and served hot which added to the taste and complimented very well with the kebab. So, incase you want to save money then buy kebabs and few parathas to make it a small meal.

Lucknowee Paratha

Murgh Schezwan tandoori - My mouth can't stop watering when I see the image or think about it. It was spicy but lip smacking tasty. We has this too with the parathas as it had nice gravy.

Murgh Schezwan tandoori

After having starter cum main course, we were full and headed to our favorite section of desserts.
Firni - It is named Royal firni but nothing was royal about it. A regular firni yet good in taste.

Royal firni

Rabdi - This was yum. You can try it.

Rabdi

So, this is how we had a Nawab style cuisine. Yes, they do have biryani and a long list of food items to choose from. We have parked few choices for our next visit. They have small nawabi room for a guest of 20 people - Adab-e-Dastarkhwan.

It's not yet done, guess how much did we spend for the meal? Approximately 600 bucks. Yes, all this at just 600 for 2 people. Who says that we spend a lot of money on food? That's not always the case, make a choice based on your preference and our suggestions, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Until I post again, happy hogging!

A movie which has the feel good factor in itself and will provide you with the warmth amidst the recent movies. A story of Mauji & Mamta from a small town who aspire to start their own small scale textile business. It has been well executed by the Director Sharad Katariya who had earlier given us the lovely movie "Dum Laga Ke Haisha". Once again he comes with a sweet and simple story of everyday life and endears us.

Sui Dhaaga review

Coming to the story, Mauji (Varun Dhawan) works as a helper in a shop that sells sewing machines also doing odd jobs for his bosses which includes enacting like a dog to entertain people at his self respect's behest. He is married to Mamta (Anushka Sharma) but they don't find time for each other due to life's struggles and in laws. Mauji has a sweet mother Amma (Yamini Das) and a nagging father Bauji (Raghubir Yadav). Mauji also has a brother who is married and doesn't stay with them. Life takes turns when at the boss's son's marriage Mauji goes to such an extent that he starts acting like a dog to earn some extra bucks. Saddened by the disrespect Mamta hints Mauji to start something of his own as he is a good tailor. That's where the story of struggle and pain begins.

The story starts of with a simple introduction of the family and with Mauji's philosophy "Sab Badhiya hai". The first half has its moments but fails to create impact. The main struggle and the story picks up in the second half which depicts the hardships Mauji & Mamta goes through in achieving their goals.

Mauji and Mamta - Sui Dhaaga

Varun Dhawan who had shown that he is a good actor in the recently released movie October and Badlapur excels once again with his expressions and dialogue delivery. The effort taken by him to enact Mauji truely shows in the movie. Anushka Sharma plays the quiet Mamta who directs Mauji and guides him towards the path and Mauji takes care of the rest. She has also excelled with the dialogue delivery and her expressions mostly in the second half. Watch out for her dialogue where she explains Mauji's struggle and pain to earn a sewing machine. Raghubir Yadav as usual excels in his role as a nagging father.

Sui Dhaaga movie review

The story is  very fast paced and sometimes doesn't feel realistic but is very well displayed by the director. Songs also doesn't slow the movie and helps the pace adding soothness.

On the whole "Sui Dhaaga - Made in India" is worth a watch and as Mauji says "Sab Badhiya hai" 😍

Reviewed by Mandar Dalvi

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"Batti Gul Meter Chalu" 

Batti Gul Meter Chalu Review

After the success of Padmavat, Shahid Kapoor ("SK") delivers great performance as a hypocrite, mean lawyer making money from out of court settlements in the first half and as honest lawyer with a mission in the second half. His character transformation is truely commendable and Shahid does it with ease. Shraddha Kapoor ("Nauti") plays a small town girl and as aspiring fashion designer. She also delivers her role with ease with nothing much to showcase.

Review on Batti Gul Meter Chalu

Divyendu Sharma ("Tripathi") plays a small business owner with a weak heart and troubled with high electricity bills for his company. As his previous roles, he delivers his role with ease and perfection. Yami Gautam ("Gulnaar"), plays a defending lawyer, who comes in the later second half but has got nothing much to do due to the narrative. Finally, the courtroom drama is good but not effective highlighting only on SK with no strong defense with the accused which makes it one-sided. There are some hilarious dialogues between SK and Yami which will make you laugh.

A good and sensitive topic which could have been explored more and executed in a very fine way but due to long run time of the movie, it gets boring. On the whole BGMC, starts off with slow pace at the start but picks up in the second half and ends normally without effect. The movie is a surely 'one time watch' with superb direction and Shahid Kapoor's acting.

Reviewed by Mandar Dalvi

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Paan, the traditional Indian mouth freshner is something that has always fascinated me. More than the betel leaf, I'm the one who used to enjoy the stuffing that used to go in it. As a kid, I still remember how happy I used to be when I could find it in wedding functions, restaurants and urge my parents to buy me one :P Yes, but now obviously I can explore and find such places where they make nice paan.

That's how we bumped at this place named Dashrath Panwala, situated on the Hill road in Bandra while we were heading to the Mount Mary Fair. This is one place you should try if you are a paan lover. He has different varieties of paan served at this tiny shop. You would just be clueless what are exact ingredients that are going in your paan. Just look at the plate below, it is just one plate with so many things apart from this, this small pan patri shop (i.e. how it is called here in Mumbai) had many containers storing different things.

Pan masala

Chocolate Paan - Dashrath Panwala

Paan - Dashrath Panwala

To my surprise, he made this into a roll. Yes, you read it right! Just like how we have franky or rolls, he made it made it into a roll and served it to us. I never ever imagined in my life that I would have paan in this way. It tasted really out of this world! Trust me if you are among those whose appetite is small (obviously like me), I bet you won't be able to eat it more than that half. So, better have a better to share it.

Chocolate Paan roll