Imaikkaa Nodigal (2018)

[*** stars / *****] 

Random people in Bengaluru are kidnapped and brutally killed by a serial killer (Anurag Kashyap). The killer claims to be Rudra, the same serial killer allegedly shot dead by CBI officer Anjali (Nayantara), some years ago. 

A genius hacker who leaves no traces of his whereabouts, Rudra taunts Anjali to stop the killings. Meanwhile, Anjali's brother Arjun (Atharvaa) is still recovering from a breakup with Krithika (Raashi Khanna). Unknown to Anjali, Arjun and Krithika,  Rudra has devilish plans for the three.    

Imaikkaa Nodigal has a plot with convincing twists and a show-stealing performance by Anurag Kashyap (voice dubbed by Tamil director Magizh Thirumeni). Nayantara is good, Atharvaa and Raashi Khanna play their supporting acts sportingly. The mercurial Vijay Sethupathi is damn good in a short cameo.   

The makers are guilty of abandoning logic and believability at times, as many Tamil mainstream movies do so often. Songs mar the pace, add no layers to the story. 

The razor-sharp editing and the lead performances ensure that Imaikkaa Nodigal (Blinkless Seconds) holds together as an emotionally exploitative mass audience targeted crime thriller. 


If Imaikkaa Nodigal is worth a one-time watch, the bearably sane and not too obvious storytelling and screenplay by director R. Ajay Gnanamuthu is a factor too. 

Mukkabaaz (2018)

[***1/2 stars / *****] 

Mukkabaaz is easily Anurag Kashyap's most accessible mass audience social satire. 

No abuses, no harrowing violence, less brutality, a less tragic ending. Happily, for us cinema-seekers, it is never a compromised film. 

Story 
A low caste boxer, UP's "Mike Tyson" Shravan Kumar (Vineet Kumar Singh) is bullied to not competing in any major district bouts by his high caste employer Bhagwan Das Mishra (Jimmy Shergill). Shravan revolts and pays the price for following his passion and falling for Mishra's niece Suniana (Zoya Hussian). Shravan is supported by a low caste coach Sanjay Kumar (Ravi Kishan), but it is a dark road ahead. 

The love story is pitched for popular appeal, Kashyap builds on the premise to masterfully reveal India's languishing sports administration and doomed sportspersons.  

Unconventional as Always 
Never forceful, always relevant, Mukkabaaz touches more than a nerve with raw humor, gritty drama, and an almost heartbreaking end. 

Kashyap revels in reflecting contemporary truths, nobody tells it as straight as he does. Be it the caste system, corruption, murderous gau rakshaks ('cow protectors'), a passionate boxer's harrowing life, he lands the right punches, almost every time. 

Inspired, Courageous Acting 
A huge applause for Vineet Singh's earnest boxer portrayal, Zoya Hussain's turn as a spirited mute girl and a terrific, understated Ravi Kishan as the coach. 

Jimmy Shergill ends up as a one-note villain because the writers give him little to work on. The hint that his angst arouses from an unfulfilled sporting ambition is not convincing enough.   

Editing Please 
Excess use of the film's soundtrack in scenes where silence would have worked better mitigates the intended impact. A trimmer film would have hit a lot harder. 

But apart from these niggles, Mukkabaaz is very watchable for its story, screenplay, and damn good, heartfelt, stark real performances.

Mukkabaaz is worth the punches and more at the cinemas this week. 

Ugly (2014)

[***1/2 stars / *****] 

Ugly reeks of familiar Anurag Kashyap elements, from suicidal tendencies, alcohol, cigarette smoke, enclosed rooms to mentally-ravaged characters. But like his best films, the combustive combination is startlingly real.

The daughter of an estranged, aspiring actor disappears from his parked car in one of Mumbai's crowd-infested streets. A prime suspect is killed in the heat of a chase (chase scenes, another Kashyap authority). 

The actor's ex-wife has a police officer for a second husband. Old wounds, vengeance and greed rises up like a writhing snake. There is a grim persistent stench to the proceedings. The culmination punches in like an old parable.    

Purposely devoid of style, buoyant in its stark performances (Girish Kulkarni steals the show), Ugly is a credible watch for cinema lovers.