I’m not done yet- Endearing One-Man Act, Bollywood style!

Love him or hate him, with his flourishing and much loved eponymous show on Sony, ace comedian Kapil Sharma, is the undisputed king of stand-up comedy in India and has been pretty much sitting on that throne for close to a decade now. He won the Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2007 and since then there has been no turning back. He went on to win six seasons of Comedy Circus on Sony and after several other TV stints, found his footing as an established TV comic show entertainer with Comedy Nights with Kapil in 2013 on Colors. If you still doubt his credentials, here’s what his resume looks like: Ormax Media rated Sharma the most popular Indian television personality in April 2016. Forbes India ranked him at 11th and 18th in their Celebrity 100 list in the year 2016 and 2017 respectively. In 2013, he was awarded the CNN-IBN Indian of the Year in the entertainment category, and was ranked third in the Most Admired Indian Personality List by The Economic Times in 2015. (Courtesy: Wikipedia). His rise and rise are not without a few stumbling blocks though. 

He has been constantly in the public eye for several controversial tweets. His infamous drunken brawl with his comic rival on the show once, Sunil Grover which led to their eventual fall-out is perhaps what earned him much criticism and the audience’s ire. Frequent stories about his hedonistic tendencies post his success, celebrities’ complaints about his indisciplined ways while on shoot and the highly mocked Family Time with Kapil couldn’t mar his ranking as much as his issues of alcoholism and depression. He has been written off several times during his career only to emerge stronger and apparently, adequately rehabilitated. His film career may have flopped before it even took off but his forte of humorous repartee and highlighting the common man’s life through his earthy jokes have held him in good stead to help revoke his career. What is it then about this overtly ambitious, unflinchingly gregarious and frequently visible TV personality that we can look forward to seeing in Netflix’s I’m Not Done Yet? 

For all those people who account for his following in millions (he has 39 million followers on Instagram), the OTT show shares a rare glimpse of Kapil where the camera is turned on his personal life, successes, failures, struggles, family, love life and upbringing. It is peppered with all the makings of a regular Bollywood potboiler, so well-scripted is it- with dollops of emotion (we see him talk about his father’s death and its repercussions), class conflict (his wife Ginni was from a rich family unlike him) and love and passion (for his family, comedy and entertainment) that ultimately leads to a happy ending full of fame, money and celebrity status. It was refreshing to have someone who has become the nation’s poster boy for laughter to open up about his suffering with depression and his rags-to-riches story (Kapil Sharma’s net worth in 2022 is estimated at INR 245 crores+). At the end of the day, to not buy in to the intense personal connection that he builds with his audience becomes impossible through the show- a trait that helps him retain his irrefutable status till date.

I rate I’m Not Done Yet *** stars.

I’m not Done Yet is now showing on Netflix.

Looop Lapeta- As thrilling as running on a treadmill

Starring Taapsee Pannu and Tahir Raj Bhasin in lead roles, Looop Lapeta gets its casting perfect considering both these promising stars seem to be running from one role to the other, if we are to go by the number of projects they seem to star in these days. Tom Tykwer’s German film Run Lola Run is the original story to which this Indian adaptation pays tribute but comparisons aside, this film could have held its own if not for the overzealousness of its makers when it comes to experimentation. Considering the film thrives on the repetitive nature of the plot, where one’s choices will determine what the end result may be, one has to keep the audience fully invested in the characters and have viewers rooting for them till the finish line. This is probably where you need extremely good actors or star power to tide over the loopy narrative and chunky editing. Savi is an ex-athlete who is rescued from committing suicide by the good-hearted but shady Satya. The rest of the film is about how she has to return the favour and save his life from his criminal boss Dibeyendu Bhattacharya who has entrusted a quick money-making deal on Satya in a do-or-die, time-bound challenge. Unfortunately, despite sincere performances from the cast, the film’s slow-paced and indulgent first half tests the viewers’ patience too much to actually pique their interest for the actual fun in the second-half. The jumpy interludes, quirky colour filters and repetitive attempts at humour further slow down the narrative. The highlight for me were the two simpleton brothers Appu and Gappu trying to loot their father’s jewellery store with their hare-brained strategies who stand out in a crowded milieu of eccentric characters. Looop Lapeta may have been a taut comic thriller if it were cut by at least 30 minutes and did not feature so many redundant flashbacks and intercuts to constantly try and keep us engrossed. By the way, it’s a bit unsettling to know how Indian cinema has unflinchingly come to a point when it is cool to point the middle finger at your father after making expletives like the f-word the most common expression in OTT vocabulary. I am no moral or culture police but dread to think what’s coming next. 

I give **1/2 stars to Looop Lapeta.

Looop Lapeta is now showing on Netflix.

The Power of the Dog- Ruthless, Raw and Introspective

 

The Power of the Dog is a film that delves deep in to perception vs reality- how people seem to be and how they really may be. Phil and George are two brothers and ranch owners in Montana. Set in 1925, this is an age when women driving a car is scoffed at and a man who is seemingly fragile may be termed effeminate or a faggot. Boorish and imposing, there’s Phil played by Benedict Cumberbatch, a man of the soil, who wears his grubby appearance with pride and doesn’t mince his words, often sharp tongued and hardhearted. His brother does not seem to share his devotion for their mentor Bronco Henry and is starkly contrasted in personality to his brother with his genteel and mild mannerisms. So when George marries the widow Rose who also brings in her docile son Peter to the ranch, he invokes Phil’s ire who is quick to show his displeasure and disapproval of the match. This sets the stage for a game of intimidation, where Rose slowly and surely slips into alcoholism to cope with the constant subjugation and bullying of Phil. Peter who Phil looks down upon for his delicate ways and his subsequent intrusion in to his life, is equally curious as he is wary of Phil. Peter earns Phil’s respect as he shares Bronco Henry’s eye for seeing beyond the obvious. This breaking of perceived barriers is what the film rides on as it unravels what lies beneath a human’s being obvious exterior. Jane Campion explores a compelling plot, inviting the viewer to engage in breaking stereotypes, peeling the layers off each character, scene by scene till they are laid bare. 

The Power of the Dog may take us back by a century but the thought-provoking narrative is as relevant today as it was then. I rate this film **** stars. Like a weary horse, it may trudge slowly but is a rewarding journey for those who stay with it till the end. It leaves you with a lingering sense of human fallacy and duplicity. 

The Power of the Dog is now showing on Netflix.