Audience Member
A dancer in a small town is groped by a drunk Vice-Chancellor of a University during a live performance. She ends up slapping him. Although he finds out next morning that something untoward happened publically, the local cops have instructed people not to tell him about the slap and have deleted all videos taken by people present at the venue. Not knowing, he first decides to apologize and resume, she refuses to forgive him, then ends up telling him how she slapped him publically after he has her imprisoned. Then, of course, she has to leave the small town to escape his goons. She makes her point in the end but after a struggle. Swara Bhaskar plays Anarkali the dancer who makes the point that her boundaries are still boundaries that need to be respected. An excellent performance.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/04/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Storyline - Real & predicable ..I somehow feel the director should have begun the movie from the interval , the part till interval was a drag , i am sure many would have dozed off or left the theater,and those who dared to stay back to either do justice to the actors or the directors , or to wasool the cost of ticket they paid , or because the had nothing to outside the theater, were happy that they stayed back . The Director /storyteller gave the second half their best . For instance the character of "Hiraman" was etched out with patience and finesse, and Isthiyak Khan played it to the T and very convincingly .The story took real and convincing pace in the second half.
Other characters played their random part , with no additional dimensions or layering . Sanjay Mishra sounded the same and acted the same ..only addition was his wig . Pankaj Tripathi - I think he also is stuck in the same dialogue delivery apparatus in all his films - he is best with silent expressions or with very little dialogues..basically the director should have made an one hour movie starting from the interval .
I truly believe cinematography , the sound could have been better , their were very little scenes shots which zoomed on a subjects expressions .
Overall it was a good 1 hour stage show trying to be a movie by stretching it to 2 hours..
Is it watchable again - No way
Are the songs hummable - Yes the Sonu Nigam one.
The good reviews first :
1.The best detailed character - Hiraman Tiwari
2.The best actor (Convincing) - Ishtiyak Khan as Hiraman
3. 2nd best actor - ( Swara Bhaskar)
4. Best Lyrics -"Mann Beqaid Hua ", "Badnaam Jiya De Gaari"
5. Best Singers - Sonu Nigam & Rekha Bhardwaj
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/18/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Anaarkali of Aarah is other-worldly and standard. Not only does it expand our understanding of "When she says no, it means a NO!", but it also spices the game with the most authentic cinematic and regional flavors which make it one of the most authentic films this year. The singer Anaarkali here, hailing from the town of Englishpur in Aarah, sings raunchy and bawdy songs in front of a leering, 'men-only audience'. And, she also has full control over her mental state and physical body. She is a beqaid havaa, and the gifted actress Swara Bhaskar is a celebration of this fact, thanks to the debutant director Avinash Das.
When was the last time you saw the film when you were explored the emotional and physical coherence of a female characters and had insights on what she does and how she feels? Since 'Pink', when was the character of consent fierce at form and independent in ideas? I cannot recall more than the blazing, satisfying, crunchy film 'Anaarkali of Ara' directed deftly by Avinash Das, a man himself from the state of Bihar. He gives Anarkaliya eccentric wings and an absolute, joyous and unabashed flight of fancy. But as she starts fighting for the right over her own body, it is when the drama becomes more frequent and overpowers the patriarchy which is absolute in the supposedly 'backward' but incredibly rich states of Bihar and UP. The female here sings bawdy songs in front of leering men, carrying on the legacy of her mother. Swara Bhaskar's standout performance is what makes it an unusually winning film.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/25/23
Full Review
Audience Member
The movie has brilliant actors and brilliant performances from them. This I think is the bare minimum for a movie to be worth watching. But this one has a very interesting storyline too, unique central characters (as far as Hindi movies are concerned), a message imbibed in there quite openly yet subtle and effective. It's original and entertaining as well.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
Full Review
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