I’ve been a movie buff since my childhood, also so passionate about it that I wanted to be a filmmaker and actually tried in that direction to a certain extent, still nurturing that ambition. And I’ve always enjoyed movies on the big screens, including those silver screens from the traditional single-screen movie theaters of yore that were a perfect fit for the 35mm film format and whenever the occasional 70mm film came along, the frames they used to overflow to the sides. I find this very tragic, of course it does not coincide with the horrors and suffering of people due to the pandemic, which for more than 18 months has deprived me of normal cinema visits and I really miss the action. OTT (Over the Top) streaming platforms have thus become the only alternative, for people like me, who put all the focus on appropriate COVID-19 behavior and safety. Therefore, I have been watching a lot on such a platform since the first shutdown, always selecting the best available movies and the most talked about series, but limited to a single platform because I don’t want to damage my ears with constant use of headphones. Many of the movies are from the golden age and most of the modern ones don’t need a special mention. However, I had recently watched three modern movies and web series that I would like to talk about a bit. latest bollywood movie Doorbell (2021) is one of them that appealed to me because of the name that was all the rage in our university days, and because the film was in the vein of effective Indian spy thrillers that I have enjoyed so much in recent years in modern theaters.
The film’s hero Akshay Kumar is one more attraction as he was involved in several successful thrillers made by filmmaker Neeraj Pandey as special 26 (2013), Baby (2015), rusty (2016) and Naam Shabana (2017). Of course this movie Doorbell It’s not one of theirs, but like I said I found the format exciting. Watching the movie I was generally disappointed: it had an explosive plot that was terribly marred by an inept script. The basic theme of the film, a drama about the hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane (based on a true event during the last term of the then Prime Minister of India, the late Indira Gandhi), was affected unnecessarily by the prolonged flashbacks, and finally, when the plot seemed to be picking up, there wasn’t enough time to bring it to a worthy climax. Although the film bears similarities to another successful kidnapping thriller, zameen (2003), directed by Rohit Shetty, its final climax turned out to be very simplistic and somewhat rushed.
The film certainly has its high-octane moments with agent RAW (Research and Analysis Wing), played by Akshay Kumar, codenamed Doorbell, going through the investigations and raids to the hideouts of the terrorists. His RAW chief, in fact well played by Adil Hussain, is nothing more than a pale shadow of the intelligence chief in Baby played by Danny Denzongpa, who almost survived the supercharged drama and action. The characters of the kidnappers were also not given enough attention and none of them managed to scare the viewers like they did in movies like Baby and Neerja (2016), the latter very cleverly directed by Ram Madhvani. Pakistan’s intelligence counterpart was also half-hearted. The latest twist involving Akshay’s wife, played by Vaani Kapoor, sharing a secret with the RAW boss was only skin deep. Some reviewers also point out factual errors, but these can be overlooked because this is ultimately a work of fiction. Therefore, the movie Doorbell Directed by Ranjit Tiwari, though well handled to some extent, it fails to be as gripping as the films of the same genre mentioned here.
A surprise was in store when the new OTT web series Mumbai Diaries 11/26, Made by well-known filmmaker Nikhil Advani, it was made available to air. Having lived through every agonizing moment of that horrible terrorist attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008 through my work in the media, anything about that attack always stood out to me. However, all the films made about the attack so far have been lame attempts, failing to do justice to the terror unleashed. So I started watching episode 9 Mumbai Diaries 11/26 immediately, and to my great surprise I found it very absorbing and doing full justice to the genuine fright still felt by both victims and people in general, for the first time. Although it is made from the medical point of view, narrating the story of a Mumbai hospital that finally suffered from a terrorist attack, almost all the horrific moments of the royal three-day reign of fear are being captured and skillfully presented. With the help of a powerful script, the characters, including the doctors and hospital staff, are portrayed with excellent ease and brilliant performances by all the actors.
The web series also pointed to the much-discussed ‘media involvement’ that was giving constant clues to Pakistan’s terror control room that led terrorists into action in Mumbai, and the tragedy unleashed by an overzealous news reporter in this work of fiction. He was honest and effective. If the timeline of the actual series of events was not followed in detail, this was never felt while watching, and again, finally, being a work of fiction, there’s no need to complain. More positively, the Series does not indulge in any gory violence or glorification thereof and explicit sexuality that have been the hallmark of almost all OTT Web Series broadcast in India. Altogether, the Mumbai Diaries 11/26 is fully watchable for all kinds of viewers of any age who want to re-feel the reality of the dastardly terrorist attack.
Finally, a Hollywood movie. Those who wish me dead (2021), directed by Taylor Sheridan. With Angelina Jolie in the lead and an interesting story of smokejumpers for wildfires, I watched the movie as soon as it aired on my subscribed OTT platform. To my surprise again, I thoroughly enjoyed it, not finding a single weak moment in this clever thriller. What I found refreshing is that the movie followed the 1990s thriller genre religiously and exactly with an immaculately tight script. Lately, most of the Hollywood movies have been dealing with super visual effects, be it showing all-destroying monsters, catastrophes, or unimaginable sci-fi stories that mainly cover the outside world and universe. It somehow vindicated my wish, nurtured for many years, that Hollywood should return to the basic human dramas that are always acceptable to everyone. All people with a mentality of this ordinary mortal, therefore, must not fail to see Those who wish me dead at any cost. Those who can safely visit theaters are the luckiest.
