October – Cinema of the Month! Bollywood, Hollywood and more

Bollywood came out with multiple blockbusters this October including War, The Sky is Pink, Made in China, Housefull 4, Saand ki Aankh and Lal Kaptaan but most of them failed to impress or leave any particular impact. In fact, there are two movies among them worth discussing about which are Shonali Bose’s The Sky is Pink and Tushar Hiranandani’s Saand ki Aankh. Though Taapsee Panu and Bhumi Pednekar starer Saand ki Aankh is an inspiring tale with beautiful cinematography, it sticks to familiar Bollywood clichès and restrains from taking any risks. Therefore, our pick is Priyanka Chopra and Farhan Akhtar starer The Sky is Pink.

Shonali Bose’s The Sky is Pink may not be a technical masterpiece but with a run-time of almost two and a half hours, the film has a lot to say. It is based on the life of motivational speaker Aisha Chaudhary, who died when she was 18 after being diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. The film takes us on  a journey of her parents’ romantic relationship over a period of 25 years from Aisha’s perspective. Throughout this period the relationship between all four family members suffer significant ups and downs. It is a film about love and life which perfectly showcases how the lives of the family members are impacted by each other’s choices and decisions.

Each and every character receives immense character developments, so much so that it becomes hard to believe it is a true story. Priyanka Chopra is the MVP of the film delivering one of her career best performances and it wouldn’t be surprising if she walks away with one or two Filmfares this year. She is brilliantly supported by Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim and Rohit Saraf, all of whom play their respective characters with utmost sincerity and perfection.

One thing which sets this film apart from other films of similar genre is that though the subject around which the film revolves is pretty sensitive, it chooses to display it in a rather funny way. An impressive script, on point dialogue deliveries and the engaging voice over by Zaira Wasim’s late Aisha Chaudhary takes care that the audiences are well entertained. While the film is mostly funny, the emotional bits are sure to moisten up one’s eyes all thanks to once again a brilliant script and applaud worthy performances by the cast. This film may not be perfect but it conveys certain very important life lessons and has the ability to make the audiences laugh and cry and sometimes both at the same time. How many times do we see that?

Rating – 3.5/5

“There could be no Joker as good as or better than Heath Ledger’s”, is what people used to say. Well, this film is a slap on their faces and is good lesson on how one should never challenge time! With an awe-inspiring performance, Joaquin Phoenix’ Joker stole all our hearts and breaths in what arguably is the best interpretation of the infamous DC character. The film dives deep into the characters past and made him what he became and displays that how constant negligence by the society affects a person. Dark and depressing in its take, the film is very realistic and relatable and is strictly meant for adults. Even the coldest of hearts are going to melt while watching this film and what is left after watching it, is a feeling of loneliness and self introspection.

The film tries to explore a never seen before genre of live action comic book movies but the plot of the film sometimes feels hollow and is mediocre at best. Joaquin Phoenix deserves most of the credit here as he carried such a plot with sheer brilliance and selling each and every sequence! The supporting cast didn’t have much to do with Robert de Niro and Zazie Beetz’ characters being the only 2 you’ll remember. The sole focus of the film is the downfall of Arthur Fleck and the evolution of a sociopath – Joker.

It isn’t your regular comic book movie with lots of action, jokes and heroism and is exactly the opposite but nevertheless it is brilliant in what it is and should definitely be viewed by cinema lovers; also, the message it wants to convey should be interpreted and thought upon by the audience.

Rating – 4/5

Since it is impossible to watch every series out there, among the one’s we did watch our pick for the month of October is Stephen Knight’s Peaky Blinders season 5.

After a long wait of over a year, the BAFTA winner Peaky Blinders is back with it’s fifth season. Though originally it ended on 22nd September, 2019 with a mind-blowing finale on BBC One, it was became available worldwide on Netflix only on 4th October. Season 4 ended with Cillian Murphy’s Thomas Shelby and gang getting the best of Adrien Brody’s Italian gangster Luca Changretta in an overwhelming finale. In season 5, Tommy has to deal with yet another foe in the form of Sam Caflin’s Oswald Mosley who stands against everything Peaky Blinders stand for.

With the usual length of 6 episodes season 5 is immensely thrilling as well as a visual delight with brilliant cinematography as always, perfect color grading, handsome looking costumes and make up (including the trademark Peaky Blinders haircut, caps and overcoats) and lots of stylized slow motion walking sequences which are loved by fans and critics alike. Apart from all that, an intelligent script, rousing background music and a finale that will keep you on the edge of your seats, there is nothing more one can demand from it. So, fan or a non fan, just watch it…. By order of the Peaky Blinders!

Rating – 4.5/5

Our Pick- Lijo Jose Pellissery’s Jallikattu

Jallikattu is one of those movies which every cinema lover or film making aspirant has to watch! The cinematography of the film is simply outstanding with so many beautiful and creative shots which have the ability to leave the audience spellbound. The shots used in first 10 minutes of the film itself are worth an applause and if you decide to complete this exceptional ride of 1 hour and 30 minutes you’ll be left wanting for more.

Initiated with a brilliant idea mixed with a great script, captivating dialogues, powerful performances, absolutely beautiful cinematography and garnished with an excellent sound design, this platter is more than just delicious. There is nothing more to say about this film as watching it on the biggest screen available is the only way this story can be savored!

Rating – 4.5/5

Honorable Mention

Netflix‘ El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie

So that’s it for October’s Cinema of the Month and we’ll be back with our picks for November soon. Meanwhile do share your opinions in the comments and tell us if we missed your favorite cinema of the month!