Many viewers had recommended the 2020 Kannada film Dia to me. It’s now streaming on Amazon Prime, and I’m so glad I watched it. K S Ashoka has a well crafted script, about introverted Dia. I wasn’t expecting the boy she falls for in the first half hour to NOT be the love of her life! This film was unique and really different with a shocking ending. If you’re looking for something completely light for quarantine viewing, this may not be for you, but if you want to see an offbeat romance, I highly recommend Dia.
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Top Five Hindi Films of 2019
This was not the best year for Hindi cinema, but there were some stand outs.
Honorable Mention:
Badla
#5. War
#4. Sonchiriya
#3. The Sky Is Pink
#2. Article 15
#1. Gully Boy
HIT & Trance are on Amazon Prime
Two recent films I saw in the theater, are now streaming on Amazon Prime.
HIT is a Telugu mystery thriller starring Vishwak Sen as a troubled detective. This film produced by Nani is worth a watch!
Trance is a Malayalm film starring Fahadh Faasil as a faith healer preacher. It’s the first film with Fahadh’s wife Nazriya since Bangalore Days. The film is directed by Anwar Rasheed, director of Ustad Hotel. The first have is exceptional, but I found the second half abstract and confusing. Still worth a watch for Fahadh’s performance, and the supporting role of director Gautham Menon.
Quarantine Live Chat from March 25
I hadn’t livestreamed on Youtube for a long time. I had a wonderful chat with viewers and answered their questions for over an hour:
Top 5 Tamil Films of 2019
Honorable mentions:
Viswasam:
and Bigil starring Vijay:
5. Kaithi:
4. Magamuni:
3. Asuran:
2. Peranbu:
1. Super Deluxe:
Super Deluxe was my favorite Indian film of all of 2019.
One Year Anniversary of Pardesi Youtube Channel!
Today is the one year anniversary of my solo Pardesi Youtube Channel! 8200 subscribers is not too shabby!
I’m doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) video next week to continue the celebration. Reply to the video with your questions, or tweet them to me @PardesiYT with #PardesiAMA
What a wild ride it’s been this year!
Mahanati Review – Keerthy Suresh captures the magic of Savitri
I have been anticipating Mahanati for a year, since Dulquer Salmaan posted a picture of himself on twitter as Gemini Ganesan, announcing that he was debuting in his first Telugu film, a period piece.
I didn’t know anything about the legendary actress Savitri until I posted my trailer reaction to the Mahanati teaser trailer. I asked for people to send me links and clips, and my Youtube viewers sent me songs and scene clips, but universally, they all told me I HAD to see Maya Bazar. Boy, am I glad I watched the 1957 classic film before I watched Mahanati. Because the very first glimpse of Keerthy Suresh in the film is a filming of a famous scene from Maya Bazar, and I recognized it immediately. Watching Maya Bazar meant I could judge whether Keerthy was nailing it as Savitri — and boy did she ever!
Here’s my full review of the film:
Dulquer Salmaan had to walk a fine line. He played the actor Gemini Ganesan, who married Savitri even though he was already married, and also had a mistress (with whom he fathered Rekha!). He has to be so charming and compelling that you believe that Savitri would fall for him, and you also don’t like him very much at many points in the film. He did an exceptional job.
Vijay Deverakonda and Samantha Akkineni play newspaper reporters compiling a story about the mystery of Savitri’s last days. They have a wonderful chemistry together. Samantha Akkineni has a career best speech in the final 15 minutes of the film.
Hats off to director Nag Ashwin, for an incredible film, only his second full length feature film. This film covers the 50’s through the 80’s and the period details seem to be perfect. Many, many scenes from classic films are recreated, including actor Naga Chaitanya playing his grandfather ANR. It’s an amazing scope for a film, and so ambitious a project.
But the key is that Keerthy Suresh really captures the charm and spirit of the legendary actress Savitri. It’s a career best performance for her. The soundtrack is also exceptional, and I’m playing Mooga Manasulu (Muted Hearts) on repeat.
Melanie on Splitscreen Podcast with Shah!
Shah Shahid invited me as his guest on his Splitscreen Podcast where we talked about Bollywood news and upcoming films. It was a wonderful conversation! We talked about the Sanju trailer, and Veere Di Wedding. I also introduced a few Regional film trailers to Shah, including Ranam Detroit Crossing, Mahanati and Naa Peru Surya.
Avengers Infinity War – Review with my son Josh
I saw Avengers Infinity War with my husband and my son Josh. I invited Josh to be my special guest and discuss the film — because Josh has lots of opinions about Marvel films. First we did a completely spoiler free review of the film. We both liked it, and would give it 4 stars out of 5 – but the full evaluation has to wait for the final installment next year.
Our “Spoilerific” discussion was more lengthy, as we really dive deeply into the ramifications of the ending of the film for other upcoming Marvel films that are scheduled to be released in the next few years.
Sanju Trailer Reaction – It’s Amazing!
I just watched the teaser trailer for Sanju, and my mouth is hanging open in amazement.
Rajkumar Hirani is the same director who made Munna Bhai MBBS and also blockbusters like PK and 3 Idiots. This trailer is simply genius, and I love how Ranbir breaks the fourth wall and talks right to the audience.
I am blown away by the makeup and how Ranbir carries himself just like Sanjay. We have 2 months to wait, until June 29th.
Here’s the trailer so you can see for yourself just how well Ranbir Kapoor pulls it off:
Pardesi Reviews 