Desi Talk

www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know Yudhra Is Jaded But For Magnificent Cinematography O h! If this one even had an ounce of freshness…! But it doesn’t. It mixes everything from Zanjeer (parents’ murder and the hyper-angry hero) to the Hindi film drugs formula to a hamming villain in Firoz—Raj Arjun shocks in a performance that is more of stylized caricaturing than the kind of deadly villainy he can so easily do. What’s more, the scripting is an even bigger shocker from writer Shridhar Raghavan (who once wrote great stuff like the TV epic CID, Khakee and Bluff- master! and wrote the illogical YRF ex- travaganzasWar, Pathaan and Tiger 3 that did good business). The dialogues are oh-so-banal in their intended effect (in- tended, please note, like the gem, “Main Abhimanyu ka baap hoon, Arjun!”). Yup. What’s more, these seasoned writers (Farhan Akhtar and Akshat Badhaai Ho Ghildial) seem to lack even basic knowl- edge: the hero mocks his girl for being in a medical college where they cut up frogs et al! Now, where did this gem of mam- moth ignorance come from? The script relies more (a current trend that makes our logic-less movies seem like classics in comparison!) on twists and more twists and fast-paced action and style rather than sense or substance. The hero, Yudhra (wonder who named him that name that means war!) has been adopted by Kartik (Gajraj Rao), the griev- ing colleague of a cop who is killed along with his pregnant wife in an accident. The child is saved, but for five minutes, we are told, his body has not received any oxygen because his mother was dead. That could give him a kink in his brain, says the obstetrician. Still, Kartik brings him up as his own son, and a close family friend and col- league is Rahman (Ram Kapoor), whose daughter, Nikhat (Malavika Mohanan) is Yudhra’s childhood friend. Rahman, also a cop, becomes a kind of mentor to Yudhra later. Yudhra’s only ‘abnormality’ turns out to be his anger issue that overflows at any sub-normal condition. While he af- fectionately saves a lizard that has been treated brutally by his classmates, he is rusticated from school for beating those students up, and he is then sent to a mili- tary school. Here again, he gets involved in a fracas and is court-martialed. Now comes the really absurd part: he is dispatched to the “worst jail in the country” (is that where court-martialed soldoers are sent???!!!) wherein the in- mates are ruled by two ruffians, because one of them, Naidu (unknown actor) is close to Firoz who can lead him to Sikandar, a don now based in Portugal. Rahman informs him that Sikandar is actually behind his parents’ murder, though they could never prove it. Yudhra goes there and kills Sikandar very easily but the real deal is somewhere else. And then we have to wait for 2.21 hours to understand who the real villain is. And we also must suffer some hyperki- netic action, brutal violence, absurdities galore (like a music store in Portugal be- ing wrecked and people galore murdered and we do not even see a passerby out- side the shop, forget cops!!) and lack-of- chemistry romance. We finally get to see the extermination of all villains, and of Yudhra feeling that he should finally calm down. By that time, regrettably, the viewer is far from calm. A relentless orgasm of violence like this, I must logically conclude, is more in the terrain of either our superstars or the South folks. This time, the only redeem- ing feature is Jay Pinak Oza’s splendifer- ous cinematography, as the film has been shot almost around the globe, and the blue-based frames especially are deli- cious. The less said about the songs and background score the better, and for me, Ravi Udyawar has helmed his second disappointment after Mom, which was Sridevi’s swan song. To go on, Siddhant Chaturvedi is great in action, but cannot muster the mobility of face so necessary to convey deep or even myriad emotions. Neither does he possess the X-factor that makes us relate to his character, which is also uni-dimen- sional. Malavika Mohanan is his partner- in-crime here, so to speak, as all she does seems to be a replay of a fatigued Sushmita Sen-meets-Deepika Padukone. Ram Kapoor is sincere but stereotyped, and so is Gajraj Rao. Raghav Juyal scores better at dance (which he is known for) than at villainy. To sum up, Yudhra can be safely given a miss, unless you are a fan of unlimited violent action—or of magnificent cam- erawork! Seriously speaking, Jay Pinak Oza is the true hero of the film. He is the true yudhra who has fought medio- cre filmmaking to ‘Excel” (the banner’s name!) in his work. Rating: ** By RajivVijayakar Photo:TrailerVideo Grab Siddhant Chaturvedi and Malavika Mohanan in Yudhra. Kiran Rao’s ‘Laapataa Ladies’ Is India’s Official Entry For The 97th Oscars I ndia has officially selected ‘Laapa- taa Ladies’ as its entry for the Best Foreign Film category at the 97th Academy Awards. The film, directed by Kiran Rao and produced by Aamir Khan, aims to spotlight significant social issues while representing Indian cinema on the global stage. The announcement has been con- firmed by Kiran Rao’s team. ‘Laapataa Ladies’ explores themes of gender equality and women’s empow- erment in rural India. The film follows the story of two brides who are inadver- tently switched during a train journey in 2001. Starring Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Sriv- astava, and Nitanshi Goel in lead roles, the film combines a poignant narrative with a strong social message. Recently, ‘Laapataa Ladies’ was showcased at a special event held at the Supreme Court of India, attended by judges, their families, and officials. At that event, Rao expressed her grati- tude for the Chief Justice’s initiative in screening the film, which she noted has helped reach a wider audience. The film, which was released in March, also features performances by Ravi Kis- han, Chhaya Kadam, and Geeta Aggarwal Sharma, contributing to a diverse cast that adds depth to the narrative. The deadline for submissions for the 96th Oscars is November 14 this year. The shortlist for Best International Feature will be revealed on December 17, and nominations will be announced on Janu- ary 17, 2025. The Academy Awards is scheduled to be held on March 2, 2025. -ANI Photo: ANI Photo:@ANI DIGITAL Photo: ANI Kiran Rao Kiran Rao’s ‘Laapataa Ladies’. Actor and politician Ravi Kishan 27 ENTERTAINMENT September 27, 2024