On The Trail With Inspector Zende!

"Inspector Zende" streaming on Netflix has been generally labelled as a comedy/thriller. The 112-minute long film features Manoj Bajpayee--a very intense actor who has played a cop many times during his remarkable career--in the titular role of inspector Madhukar Bapurao Zende of the Mumbai Police who had the rare distinction of catching the infamous serial killer, fraudster and thief Charles Sobhraj not once, but twice. Here Bajpayee appears in a lighthearted comic avatar. Jim Sarbh essays the role of Charles Sobhraj, who for some reason has been named Carl Bhojraj in the film.

The film opens with the news of Bhojraj's escape from Tihar Jail in 1986 after he treated the jail staff to kheer laced with sedative as a part of his birthday celebration. Zende had arrested him once earlier in 1971, so he gets assigned with the job of tracking Bhojraj.

As the hunt starts, visuals from Mumbai and Goa of the eighties do look delightful and refreshing. Zende, his teammates and their boss DGP Purandare (Sachin Khedekar), Zende's wife (Girija Oak), children and his mother, all of them look innocent straightforward people. It is endearing to see the policemen working without any modern security or surveillance equipment, and on a meagre budget. But the same cannot be said about Jim Sarbh's Bhojraj. He does not appear menacing enough to be an international serial killer. His long hair, moustache, and laboured accent reduce him to being a caricature, far from being the charmer that he was in real life. 

Chinmay Mandlekar, a well-known writer, director and actor mostly active in the Marathi entertainment industry has written and directed "Inspector Zende". Why he chose to make a film that focuses on the chase of a serial killer as a comedy is something beyond comprehension. The subject and its treatment do not match each other. 

While the film is mostly clean and suitable for family audiences, it is a pity to see an actor of Bajpayee's calibre being wasted in an average story and script. The jokes are weak, the direction is simplistic and the pace of the film is slow. This does not mean that Bajpayee is not suitable for comedy. It is just that a tame comedy is not enough to tap into his potential. 

To name a few instances from the film, police teams from Delhi, Goa and Mumbai clashing over claiming the capture of Bhojraj is mindless and childish. The fight sequence between Zende and Bhojraj in the middle of couples dancing in a hotel is funny, but it dilutes the importance of the moment and reduces it to a farce. Bhalchandra Kadam, a prominent comedian from Marathi industry playing one of Zende's teammates fails to make an impact. After watching the film, one is left with the impression that sometimes even when you have all the right ingredients, a tasty dish eludes you.

Once Upon A Time In Bollywood: The Story Of A Celluloid Dream!

 " A tribute to the legendary film director, K. Asif " (14th June 1922 - 9th March 1971), the handsome book opens with this dedication accompanied by a striking photograph of K. Asif standing against the backdrop of a mural depicting a war scene with spirited soldiers and a magnificent elephant. The visual sets the tone for what is to follow in the next 284 pages. Author Sunil Salgia, a renowned personality associated with several films and television shows in various capacities, has penned a scintillating account of the extra-ordinary life of K. Asif and the passion with which he made "Mughal e Azam", one of the biggest films ever made in India. Salgia chose to tell the story in the form of fiction that incorporates facts and reality generously. His efforts have resulted in a fast-paced and gripping tale of a man's perseverance --or madness-- in following his dream and emerging victorious against all odds.

Salgia has been actively involved with the making of successful television shows like Rajani, Udaan, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Indradhanush and many others as writer, director and editor. He edited the colour version of "Mughal e Azam" in 2004. During the process, he came across the enchanting story of its maker K. Asif. His fascination with the legendary filmmaker resulted in "Once Upon A Time In Bollywood", his maiden book.

The book traces the journey of K. Asif--Adil in the fictional narrative--from his humble beginnings as an assistant at his uncle's tailoring shop to the celebrated maker of an epic film. Salgia has woven a beautiful love story featuring Adil and Shama, enriching it with many political and historical details that are relevant to those times. So, while Gandhi and Jinnah are referred to in the narration of events taking place in Bombay in pre-independence times, Saadat Hasan Manto and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto appear briefly as characters in the main story. Veiled references to Lata Mangeshkar, Naushad, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan along with other personalities from the film industry make for interesting reading.

Salgia manages to engage the reader with his crisp writing and brisk pace. Short chapters keep the story moving. The filmmaker's resolve to make a grand film, his wit and subtle manipulations to achieve his goals in terms of the high benchmarks he had set for himself, the numerous obstacles that came his way, the long and treacherous road towards realising his dream, all make for compelling reading. 

The book is peppered with amusing anecdotes related with the making of "Mughal e Azam" in particular and the Hindi film industry in general. While reading the book, some incidents that I was not aware of stroked my interest and I checked them out immediately. The 1944 explosion of S S Fort Stikine at Bombay Dockyard, the interaction between Manto and Adil, the presence of Bhutto on the sets of "Mughal e Azam" ("Salim Anarkali" in the book!), the release of the film in Pakistan in 2006, the telecast of the film on Amritsar Doordarshan in 1976 being lapped up by people in Lahore are some of them. 

That the author is associated with cinema and television is evident from the way he has written several "scenes" in the book, especially the ones between Adil and Shama in the early part of the story. Thanks to his adept writing, the visual comes alive in one's mind while reading the book. Also, the mention of technical details while writing about shooting adds authenticity and weight to the narrative.

The book contains many heartwarming stories of sound and light technicians, carpenters and painters, people from the makeup and dress departments, choreographers, camerapersons and many others who work behind the camera to put together a film. An actor walking barefoot in the hot sands of a desert, an actress working hard in the last stages of her pregnancy, another actress facing the camera with heavy iron chains on her shoulders, and lightmen walking on planks that hang precariously from the ceiling are just some instances to name a few. Surely these people are driven by a passion that makes them undertake such arduous tasks. These stories underline the contribution of scores of nameless and faceless people who put in incredible efforts towards making a film.  All in all, a very enjoyable read for lovers of Hindi cinema! That would amount to a very large number given the hold cinema has over the sub-continent's psyche.

Last but not the least, a big shout-out to the designer of the cover for the alluring image of a group of dancers performing for the emperor in his court while the film director is watching the proceedings. The resemblance of the lead dancer with the bewitchingly beautiful Madhubala is hard to miss!

The Lunchbox: A Feast Sans Dessert !

Warning: Contains spoilers.

These days, a film's life is very short. By that measure, "The Lunchbox" has already been around for some time (more than a week), and a lot has been written and discussed about it by now. I saw the film, relished most of it, but there were some things that left a slightly sour taste.

No doubt, it is a sweet, simple story told very well. Mumbai comes alive on the screen just as it is: crowded, always on the move, and busy. In spite of being chock-a-block with people, each and every resident of this metropolis is an island within herself or himself...lonely, secluded, caught in the rhythmic cycle of life in a big city.

When a wrongly delivered lunchbox becomes the link between two strangers, it allows both of them to share their feelings, their memories, their insecurities and their fears in an uninhibited manner. They look forward to reading the handwritten notes in it with hope, anticipation and longing. The multi-tiered container becomes a symbol of friendship that brightens up their otherwise drab lives. In the course of this friendship, they get a chance to introspect, find courage and discover the other side of their persona that they didn't know existed.

Irrfan Khan's portrayal of Saajan (wonder if anyone has that for a first name!) Fernandes, an irritable, unfriendly and dour widower is brilliant. His life revolves around the heaps of files on his office desk, his daily commute in overflowing trains, and his smoking break in the balcony every evening while looking yearningly at a neighbour's dining room full of people.

Nimrat Kaur as Ila, the middle class homemaker is very natural when she moves around her cramped place cooking, cleaning and tending to her daughter. She dishes out sumptuous delicacies day after day hoping to win her indifferent husband's attention. What gives her a break in between these repetitive chores is her interaction through the window with her unseen neighbour, a spunky Bharati Achrekar as Deshpande Aunty, who manages to leave a mark only with her distinctive voice.

But who takes the cake among the three lead actors is the affable Shaikh, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He brings a smile to your lips with his street smartness, his never say die attitude and his exuberant optimism. He is funny without adopting any unnatural mannerisms, without any exaggerated gestures and without any loudness. In fact, he is as close to the Mumbaikar in spirit as one can get.

Lillete Dubey has a small role, but her character looks over the top considering the subtle tone of the whole film. The suggestion that Ila's husband might be having an affair is so subtle that you doubt its veracity. And the end? Well, I think after watching a film through its entire length, one deserves to see the story being brought to a proper end. An ambiguous end could be taken as the writer/director's inability to bring his/her tale to a conclusion. To me, the film seemed like a feast served without dessert.