Episode 15
From Merry Christmas to Aavesham: A Year in Review
The central theme of this podcast episode revolves around a discussion of our personal favorite films from the year 2024, specifically focusing on "Merry Christmas" and "Aavesham." We delve into the nuances of these films, sharing our thoughts on their narratives, performances, and the emotions they evoke. "Merry Christmas," directed by Sriram Raghavan, is lauded for its engaging storytelling and strong character dynamics, particularly the chemistry between the lead actors. Meanwhile, "Aavesham," featuring Fahad Fazil, captivates us with its inventive plot and the versatility of its central character, which we explore in depth. This episode reflects our cinematic preferences, inviting listeners to consider their own experiences with these films while setting the stage for future discussions on a broader array of cinematic topics.
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Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker B:Hello and welcome to Talking Talkies.
Speaker B:We're your host Benny and Meenal and thank you for joining us.
Speaker B: Friends, it's: Speaker B:In fact, an episode after a really long time.
Speaker B:It's are someone who's listened to us before.
Speaker B:Mina was just telling me that our last episode was probably back in May of 24, which means almost seven months, right?
Speaker B:Seven, eight months.
Speaker B:Somewhere in that range.
Speaker B:That is unacceptable.
Speaker B:Honestly.
Speaker B:I agree because we both love movies.
Speaker B:Lots of people love movies and love discussions on movies, especially the ones that we have picked.
Speaker B:But obviously life, there's more to life than just movies.
Speaker B:And so we've been busy with a lot of stuff.
Speaker B:But personally I'm looking forward to getting back on the wagon and talking about a lot of movies and not just movies by themselves, but just topics on movies questions and, you know, discussion topics that people always will raise in social media forums or even if you just talk to your friend, you know, anytime and you just like randomly you start talking about movies and you talk about an actor or, you know, so we definitely want to do more of those.
Speaker B:And so if to our listeners, if you have listened to our previous episodes and are back shocked that we are still around and doing another episode, welcome back.
Speaker B:And I can only assure you that we will try to be better for this episode.
Speaker B:Honestly, it's going to be slightly different from our usual in that we're not going to do a deep dive on any one specific film similar to what we did in the first episode of last year.
Speaker B:Minal and I are going to talk about our a couple of our favorite movies.
Speaker B: ing this was the best film of: Speaker B:And so for each of us, we picked a film each and we'll talk about it in very broad terms.
Speaker B:We're not going to go very in depth, but we want to talk about why we enjoyed them so much and why we thought we should very briefly talk about it in this episode.
Speaker B:And then starting the next episode onwards, we'll do our usual deep dives into films.
Speaker B:We have some other ideas for how we want to talk about movies and performances.
Speaker B:And so I do hope you stick around even if you're not around for a while.
Speaker B:Just keep checking in and just stay subscribed to our podcast on, on all these platforms and I promise you, you'll get, you'll get some good discussions or you'll hear some good discussions out of it.
Speaker B:So Mina, let's, let's dive in and we'll talk about notable mentions as well at the end.
Speaker B:Very broadly, we can just mention what other films that we enjoyed.
Speaker B:But we're gonna first start with you.
Speaker B:We'll talk about the film that you picked.
Speaker B:We'll talk about it very briefly why you enjoyed it and obviously I watched it too.
Speaker B:And then I'll go with mine.
Speaker B: ou picked as your favorite of: Speaker A:Yeah, the film I picked is Merry Christmas which was directed by Sriram Raghavan and I have a huge Sriram Raghavan bias.
Speaker A:And for the listeners, you should have listened to our episode on Anthadoon, how much we both and our guest Vipula loved it.
Speaker A:And it should tell you about why I love Sri Ram Raghavan so much.
Speaker A:So given that it was his movie.
Speaker A: e Tupathy who I discovered in: Speaker A:I write him so much in that series.
Speaker A:Then I went and watched his film Vikram Veda and I have a lot of Vikram filmography to catch up on.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But this was coming and I was curious why Katrina was casted because for the listeners, I really like Katrina as in terms of her rise as an in in the film industry, her background, somebody who couldn't dance as one of the best dancers.
Speaker A:I think she's gorgeous.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But from the acting department, I don't really rate her.
Speaker A:So I'm not going to watch movies if Katrina's acting.
Speaker A:That's not how it operates.
Speaker A:So I was curious to see why Sri Ram Raghavan had cast her and how she was going to perform.
Speaker A:And I was pleasantly surprised.
Speaker A:I thought she and Vijay Sitapathi had very good chemistry and it's a very, very odd couple to be very honest.
Speaker A:And in typical Sriram Raghavan side, it's an or film.
Speaker A:It's set, it happens in one night and these two strangers run into each other and what ensues is there's a murder and who's behind the murders, what the film is about.
Speaker A:I don't know if you're going to give out spoilers, Benny, for the listeners.
Speaker B:I mean, yeah, we can.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:So, yeah, so as we can talk about it.
Speaker A:And it's based off a book by Fred, the French writer Frederick Dard.
Speaker A:This is the first book of his I read only because I came to know this film is adapted from it, which is called Bird in a Cage.
Speaker A:It's a short novel, 100 pages or so.
Speaker A:I finish it in one sitting, like in two hours or something.
Speaker A:And I was really looking forward to what Raghavan has done, done with the film.
Speaker A:And he's a geek.
Speaker A:He's an absolute film geek.
Speaker A:He loves Hitchcock, he's very influenced by Hitchcock's films.
Speaker A:And I love Raghavan because I'm also a bit of a Bollywood geek and I like to look for Easter eggs and I like to see for tributes.
Speaker A:And he started the movie with the opening credits as a dedication to Shakti Samantha, who had a lot of hits in Rajesh Khan Asha Parikh era.
Speaker A:So it starts with Asha Parikh screaming from a movie called Katipatang, which is actually about a woman who is living a different identity, like a different life of somebody else.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:That's the theme of the movie.
Speaker A:So I thought that was great for him to start off with a bang.
Speaker A:So the opening credits had got me.
Speaker A: as set in Mumbai of Bombay of: Speaker A:So I fell in love with the nostalgia.
Speaker A:He recreated it beautifully.
Speaker A:The roads, her apartment, the whole south Bombay feel.
Speaker A:And I say Bombay because that's what was Bombay was known as, not Mumbai.
Speaker A:So yeah, I loved, I loved all of that and the build up.
Speaker A:I think at the beginning I do like slow burn crime thrillers where it gives you.
Speaker A:Soaks you in to the plot and you don't know where it's headed and you're making guesses.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:Okay, it might go this way, it might go that way.
Speaker A:And slowly they show the background of both the characters and how it's led to the murder, who is the culprit and how they're going to get caught.
Speaker A:It was super slow, if you ask me.
Speaker A:The first half an hour, 40 minutes you were like, what's going on?
Speaker A:But eventually it all the closure was excellent.
Speaker A:So I kind of liked the storytelling part of it.
Speaker A:There wasn't a scene which bored me.
Speaker A:I watched it again before for this podcast and nothing bored me.
Speaker A:It's not an Andha Dhoon, but it's.
Speaker A:It's got very much a Sri Ram Raghavan trademark.
Speaker A:And like people who love his biofilmography will love this movie.
Speaker B:The movie didn't do great in the box office.
Speaker A:No, no, no, no.
Speaker A:Yeah, but if you go, if you.
Speaker A:So I went and checked, I checked the reviews and I went to Reddit and I like to go Read Reddit because it's great to see people, what they talk about.
Speaker A:Everybody loved it and everybody was complaining that why is nobody going to the theaters?
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's with Lapada ladies as well.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:People missed it in the theaters.
Speaker A:And it's only when it won an award or something and it came on the ott, then everybody started raving about it.
Speaker A:This is what's happening.
Speaker A:So there were two other good movies I saw, and again, they didn't do great in the theaters, but maybe they were made for the OTT platform.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker B:I think people went in with the expectation that this would be another and.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker A:Awesome.
Speaker B:And I don't think that was Sriram Raghavan's intention that it's going to be something similar.
Speaker B:He wanted to do something different, and he did.
Speaker B:And it's unfortunate because I did enjoy the movie now when I watched it the first time, because I remember we were talking about it before the movie released, and we were like, this is a movie we're looking forward to because we talked about Anadun in one of our previous episodes.
Speaker B:So a shameless plug for one of our previous episodes.
Speaker B:Go check it out.
Speaker A:You should link it up in the episode notes.
Speaker A:People do check it out.
Speaker A:I think it was a great episode.
Speaker A:It was fun, and I really had a ball of a time on that episode.
Speaker B:Now when I went in to watch this, I have to admit, subconsciously, I was.
Speaker B:I was expecting another Andhadan, even though I knew it was not going to be.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now, I did enjoy the film.
Speaker B:But I did.
Speaker B:I remember that first time I watched it, I.
Speaker B:I was like, okay, this was a great experience, but I will not remember this film after this is done.
Speaker B:Yeah, right.
Speaker B:And I did not.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I forgot all about the film.
Speaker B:And then once you said, you're gonna.
Speaker B:You want to pick this film.
Speaker B:And I watched it, rewatched it a couple of days ago, and I enjoyed it a lot more on the second one.
Speaker A:Second watch.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:Which made me think, and it's something very similar to Andald too, where I felt like I enjoyed it even more the second time around.
Speaker B:And I wonder if his movies, Sri Ramaghan's films, are the kind of films that you need to watch at least twice, because the first time you watch it completely, like, you know, you have no idea what to expect.
Speaker B:And then the second time you go back to really pick on things that you may have missed the first time around, and it kind of enhances the experience and you actually enjoy it.
Speaker B:So I definitely Enjoyed it the second time around in the sense I enjoyed it more.
Speaker B:Me too.
Speaker B:And I'm kind of sad that it didn't get the reception that you know, it deserved because it, it's, it's definitely a lot smarter than most movies that are out these days.
Speaker A:100%.
Speaker B:And I don't want to pick on specific films that have done great box office numbers.
Speaker A:I can, can I, can I, can.
Speaker B:I take one minute and you can't do it.
Speaker A:I know there are wrong genres to come back, but Patan and Jamaan did so well.
Speaker A:And I'm like, do people not have an appreciation for films, what Raghavan is doing?
Speaker A:Like, it's so niche his audience, I feel.
Speaker B:But that's the thing.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:I think it's a reflection of the movie watching public.
Speaker B:People don't have the patience anymore to truly appreciate.
Speaker B:Like you said, you know, the first 30, 40 minutes it seems like nothing is happening.
Speaker B:But that's the whole point.
Speaker B:It's supposed to set things up.
Speaker A:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker B:Because if you don't do the groundwork in the first 30, 40 minutes in the first act, then it doesn't land.
Speaker B:You know, those twists and turns don't land as well towards the latter.
Speaker A:There's a simple one.
Speaker A:They show him making origami swans.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And that origami swan plays a crucial role in the climax.
Speaker A:Like this is the detailing that you sit back and you appreciate on my second rewatch.
Speaker A:And this is what I love Sriram Raghavan films is because he's such a geek when it comes to films he studied and he's not just studied Bollywood.
Speaker A:I think Bollywood Europe, Every, every, every film I think he must have watched is when, you know the second time when she repeats the process with Sanjay Kapoor character and they drop Vijay Setupati on the road on the way and they are going back to the church to get her lost watch.
Speaker A:The taxi goes away and there's a double decker that comes with a poster of Mary widow.
Speaker A:So widow.
Speaker A:Like that means it's not going to be a happy ending for Setupati and Katrina.
Speaker A:It's very clear that it's not going to be a happy ending.
Speaker A:And this did hit me.
Speaker A:It hit me on the second re watch.
Speaker A:The movie they meet at is Pinocchio and they both start off by telling lies about each other.
Speaker A:So it's these are these small things that you pick on.
Speaker A:And I was like, man, this didn't.
Speaker B:Hit me when I was watching.
Speaker B:And that's a sad thing.
Speaker B:People want to go and enjoy Mindless films like, which are just there.
Speaker B:Sorry again.
Speaker B:Yeah, there are movies for every kind of people.
Speaker B:It's just sad that these kind of movies don't get.
Speaker B:They don't need to get as much attention.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But come on, you need to do better than.
Speaker A:Exactly, exactly.
Speaker A:So like a mindless film.
Speaker A:I enjoyed Madgao Express.
Speaker A:It's an out and out.
Speaker A:It's like Dilshata gone wrong.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:It's chaos and it's just mindless comedy.
Speaker A:Not everybody's gonna have enjoy it.
Speaker A:But I laughed my heart out, so.
Speaker A:Because everybody's sense of humor is different.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:So you can enjoy mindless films.
Speaker A:It's absolutely fine.
Speaker A:Go love a Pathaan.
Speaker A:I don't have a problem.
Speaker A:But give little love to Raghavan's film.
Speaker B:I think a lot of filmmakers are also kind of are getting the hint that movies like this will do better once they are released on like streaming platforms.
Speaker B:That's where suddenly people are like, wait a minute, this movie is good.
Speaker B:Why didn't we go watch this in theaters?
Speaker B:Like, you know, and I think a lot of filmmakers, if it's not happening already, it's definitely going to happen more.
Speaker B:Where a lot of them are just going to be like, it's not worth releasing it directly in the theaters.
Speaker B:Let's just drop it on a streaming platform or do a limited release in theaters and then drop it on a streaming platform, which means more people are not going to be able to watch it.
Speaker B:And the only movies you're going to end up being able to watch in theaters are going to be the big action flicks and horror films and all those which are fine.
Speaker B:But again, but I do want to add, you kind of mentioned about the performances, the two lead performers, Vijay Sidhpati and Katrina.
Speaker B:Now Vijay Sadhbadi, I obviously have followed him for years because he's from Tamil Nadu and I've watched almost all of his films.
Speaker B:His journey has been definitely interesting because he's not like a conventionally attractive person.
Speaker B:He doesn't have the physique of an action star.
Speaker B:So to succeed the way he has, you know, he started out acting in like small indie films by Tamil film standards, but quickly acquired like a cult following to the point where he's now in the last few years acted.
Speaker B:He's shared screen space with Rajnikanth, Kamal Hassan, Shahrukh Khan, and I think he's only Vijay and he probably only has Amitabh Bachchan left to mark the bingo card.
Speaker B:He's really done well and you know, he has got the Ability or the capability to act different kind of roles.
Speaker B:Like, I mean, you think of his role in Joan and then you think of his role in this.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And it's just completely different spectrums.
Speaker B:And he.
Speaker B:So in this film he, he did well.
Speaker B:I wouldn't say he was amazing because obviously he struggles a little bit with the accent addiction.
Speaker A:But Benny, I'll be honest, I find it very endearing and I find it very natural that, okay, he's, you know, he's, he's a South Indian trying to.
Speaker B:Speak Hindi, which I appreciate it.
Speaker A:I appreciate I really.
Speaker B:The fact that Sriram Raghavan made that character.
Speaker B:He's a Tamilian.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Who speaks Hindi.
Speaker B:Unlike most other times where they try to fit it in somehow that we are supposed to believe that he's a native Hindi speaker and the character, the actor is not able to pull it off.
Speaker B:So in this case it worked.
Speaker B:But I did read that was one of the more common criticisms in this film for his performance by itself was fine.
Speaker B:It was more of his like, you know, his speaking, which I can see it being an issue, but overall, yeah, I definitely enjoyed his performance.
Speaker B:Now Katrina, I do have to say I've never rated her as an actress.
Speaker B:I think she's one of the prettiest actresses in Bollywood in the last 25 years probably.
Speaker B:But as an actor she has not been very convincing.
Speaker B:But I do.
Speaker B:There are a few films that kind of stand out.
Speaker B:Rajneeti stands out for me, her performance in it in a sense.
Speaker B:Again, none of her performances were like out of the world, like award winning performances.
Speaker B:But I could believe her in the role that she portrayed.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Conversely, Jabta Kai John, which is like one of my all time favorite Shah Rukh Khan films.
Speaker A:Such a Sharuk bias you have.
Speaker A:But go on.
Speaker B:Hey, I am not denying that at all.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I'm not going to be.
Speaker B:I'm not going to pretend like I'm not.
Speaker B:So in that film, she was one of the least convincing performances.
Speaker B:You know, it kind of took you out of time.
Speaker B:So she's kind of hit or miss and mostly miss.
Speaker B:But also she's been around for a really long time, so that's something.
Speaker B:And in this movie and especially on Rewatch, I did, I did admire the fact that she held her own, you know, not just against Vijay Sid, but even against Sanjay Kapoor.
Speaker B:And even the cop character is exceptionally good.
Speaker A:Yeah, he's.
Speaker A:This is, this is like a role which was made for him.
Speaker A:Like even it was like the last 15 minutes.
Speaker A:But he just told the show Like Vinay Pathak is exceptionally good.
Speaker B:So yeah, she did well.
Speaker B:She did well.
Speaker B:I think her acting has evolved over the years and in the role that was written for her, she did well and I did.
Speaker B:I did watch an interview featuring the three of them, Sriram Raghavan, Vijayan, Katrina Kaif, where Katrina shared that she reached out to Sriram Raghavan after Andadun and asked him to include her in some movie down the road.
Speaker B:As it happened, it happened to be his next film.
Speaker B:But she was the one who wanted.
Speaker B:She wanted to act in a Sri Rama Ragan film.
Speaker B:So that's what led to it.
Speaker B:And she got a decent role.
Speaker B:She was a good role.
Speaker B:It had layers.
Speaker B:It wasn't just like a very routine damsel in distress kind of movie.
Speaker B:I mean, without getting into too much details because we have to move on to the next film.
Speaker B:So she did well.
Speaker B:So Vijay Sethpathi did well.
Speaker B:Katrina Kaif did well.
Speaker B:It was an enjoyable movie with an intriguing plot.
Speaker B:Now I'm not familiar with the source material so for me it was very new when I watched it and I appreciated all the twists and turns.
Speaker B:Both, you know, book ended like, you know, the opening scene and the ending scene were just classic Sriram Raghavan touches.
Speaker A:Yes, perfect.
Speaker B:The opening scene, it reminded me of Andhadun.
Speaker B:Like the way it was set up like that split screen.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:And it connects to the end.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like it all, it's a full circle.
Speaker B:And even the ending too.
Speaker A:Who would know that grinding in a mixer is related to murder?
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, really well done.
Speaker A:Really well done.
Speaker B:And even the climax, it was touching.
Speaker B:It wasn't entirely convincing for me, but it was touching, you know, with the girl.
Speaker B:Yeah, speaking.
Speaker B:And I, I definitely like that Katrina kind of like she just.
Speaker B:She forgets everything else and just runs and hugs her daughter.
Speaker B:Because that's what a mother does.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:And I thought she aced that scene.
Speaker B:And then Vijay Siddhpati's essentially sacrifice in that moment which was true to his character and true to all the setup, especially the first half of the film.
Speaker B:So it all came well together.
Speaker B:And so overall, yeah, I enjoy the movie and I can see why it was one of your favorites.
Speaker A:In fact, in the book, actually the ending is where the police catch him because he's got the I card of the guy that Sanjay Kaputi.
Speaker A:So in this it.
Speaker A:The wallet is lost here he has an ID card and the police managed to nab him when with like he's.
Speaker A:They get him because he's got the ID card.
Speaker A:But here it's not like he comes on his own right to the police station.
Speaker A:And I love the twist of the daughter because.
Speaker A:And it ends.
Speaker A:The book ends there.
Speaker A:They catch him and he's like, but how did you know?
Speaker A:And they tell you like, we are not duds and you're following you and blah, blah, blah.
Speaker A:But here, Sriram Raghavan brought that, the bird in the cage.
Speaker A:So, you know, the.
Speaker A:What is it called for the Christmas trees.
Speaker A:What do you put on the Christmas trees?
Speaker B:The ornaments.
Speaker A:Trinkets.
Speaker A:Yeah, the ornaments.
Speaker A:He gives her a bird in the cage, right?
Speaker A:He gives the cage and the bird.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So that's the significance where he's dedicated to the book that it's inspired from.
Speaker A:But it's also like her speaking, the little one speaking is like, she's set free.
Speaker A:That's what I deferred.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:It's not somewhere where I read the theories or whatever.
Speaker A:And him sacrificing himself is because he regrets his rage murder so much of his girlfriend.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And she had said to him, like, I don't know if I've done everything wrong because if I get.
Speaker A:I've done it all for my kid, but if I get caught, who's going to look after my kid?
Speaker A:So he's like, he sets her free from her dilemma.
Speaker A:Like, I'll take it on.
Speaker A:I'll take on your punishment.
Speaker A:You go be there for your daughter.
Speaker A:That's how I inferred it.
Speaker A:So I.
Speaker A:I really like the twist that Raghavan brought because it hits the Indian audience, the emotional aspect of it.
Speaker B:Really, culturally it gets.
Speaker B:Connects better.
Speaker A:It connects well.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:So that, that was.
Speaker A:That was for me.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Should we now move on to your movie?
Speaker B:I mean, a few other things that like a few points.
Speaker B:I did enjoy Sanjay Kapoor's performance.
Speaker A:He's excellent.
Speaker B:He was very good.
Speaker B:Perfectly smarmy.
Speaker B:And I was like, yeah, I could definitely see this in the sense.
Speaker B:I can believe it.
Speaker B:Like his character motivations and intentions.
Speaker B:And he just aced it right from beginning to end.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:But I should call out his wife.
Speaker A:Ashwini.
Speaker B:I was gonna say Ashwini Kausekar.
Speaker B:Third time I'm watching her, obviously, first time.
Speaker B:Anda Duncan, which again, she was one of the scene stealers in this.
Speaker B:She gets even smaller role.
Speaker B:But even in that, like, you know, that touch where she's defending her.
Speaker B:Like, it was actually a great combination performance because the camera focuses on Sanjay Kapoor and Ashwini Kal Sekhar.
Speaker B:And when she is like telling, oh, he's like such a nice guy.
Speaker B:He Helps all these women.
Speaker B:And just see the expression on Sanjay Kupra's face.
Speaker A:Yes, yes.
Speaker B:Great acting.
Speaker B:Like pair acting together.
Speaker B:I say third film because the second film that I watched off her was actually Monkey man, the Dev Patel action film.
Speaker A:Ah, okay.
Speaker B:She is a terrible, terrible character in that, by the way.
Speaker B:But she was like wicked in that film.
Speaker B:So yeah, I did have to mention that.
Speaker B:And overall, the movie actually also reminded me of another Vijay Sethpati film, 9 to 6.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:If you haven't watched it, you have to watch it.
Speaker A:Oh, I've got to watch a lot of Jasiah Tupati films.
Speaker B:It's actually that movie was directed by the same director of May, Oregon, a film that we will mention again later on.
Speaker B:But it was also like set on like one night and also involves just these two central characters in that it's Trisha, but it's more of a.
Speaker B:Okay, this.
Speaker B:I'll leave this discussion for later because it is up for grabs.
Speaker B:If it is.
Speaker B:It's up for debate if it is a truly romantic film or something else.
Speaker B:Like deeper something else.
Speaker B:But it was also set in that same.
Speaker B:Like it's just people like Vijay said about the interest is just like walking around talking about life and stuff.
Speaker B:And so it did remind me a lot of this film as well.
Speaker B:But overall, Merry Christmas, people.
Speaker B:If you haven't watched it, give it a try.
Speaker B:You will not be disappointed.
Speaker B:Now moving to my pick.
Speaker B:Yeah, I picked the Malayalam film Avishim.
Speaker B:Now Meenal just told me before we started recording this episode that she hasn't watched it fully.
Speaker B:She doesn't understand why I picked this film and she doesn't understand the humor in it.
Speaker A:Yeah, I want, I feel, I feel there's a lot of cultural context to the humor which I was not getting because it's very male centric.
Speaker A:It's about.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker A:Right?
Speaker A:So I am not getting it.
Speaker A:I'm not saying the movie is bad or something.
Speaker A:I'm just.
Speaker A:Or like I didn't like it or anything.
Speaker A:I'm confused.
Speaker A:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker A:That's my first reaction.
Speaker B:For one, I would say watch the entire film and then tell me if anything has changed because this film.
Speaker B:First of all, let me again remind people what I just said at the beginning of this episode.
Speaker B: saying it was my best film of: Speaker B: There are my best film of: Speaker B:We're actually going to do an entire episode on it.
Speaker B:A deep dive on that film later on.
Speaker B:But it was a Film that I definitely enjoyed the most in terms of where I was sitting and watching from beginning to end.
Speaker B:And when it ended I was like, oh man, I gotta watch another 30 minutes of this.
Speaker B:And this is a long film, trust me.
Speaker A:Yeah, it is two and a half hours.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:And to my this, Benny, it was really busy week and I started yesterday and then I stopped at one hour and I'll tell you where I stopped it.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:But I got confused and I'm like, is this going to be, are they going to get their revenge?
Speaker A:What's going to happen?
Speaker A:Where is the humor?
Speaker A:Why isn't it funny anymore?
Speaker A:So I just lost the bit of a plot there.
Speaker A:So I said I will stop back and watch it again.
Speaker B:Well, just to like give people, you know, who may not have watched it just a brief idea what I'm talking about.
Speaker B:So this movie, Avesham is a Malayalam film directed by Jitu Madhavan and stars Fahad Fazel.
Speaker B:And the snippet of the film or the snapshot of the film really is three college freshmen befriend a gangster to get revenge on their seniors.
Speaker B:After months of drinking and partying, their choices come back to bite them.
Speaker B:So that's like the central plot of the film.
Speaker B:Now the reason that I love this film is it is a showcase of probably my number one favorite actor in India right now.
Speaker B:You know, Vijay Seth Buddy is there right on top among the top of that list.
Speaker B:There are some OGs who have been there for longest time hint Shahrukh Khan and Fahd Fossil is now currently is occupying the number one rank because he, he's got incredible range.
Speaker B:He can do dramatic, he can do comedy, action, he can do everything.
Speaker B:And this film is a perfect showcase because he does it all now, Minal and I'm telling you this, the second half of the film, you know, because the first half of the film, for those of you who watch it, you'll know Falfel only comes probably like half an hour into the film.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:For the first half an hour it's these unknown actors, it's these college kids and they're kind of like college life and this whole getting the seniors kind of picking on them, that kind of stuff.
Speaker B:And then Fahd F's character makes an entry and from there on it's fully a FAFA show.
Speaker B:It's a perfect.
Speaker A:I have watched Fahad, I think only in Bangalore Days and I loved him in it.
Speaker A:I loved him in it.
Speaker A:So he and his wife were paired romantically and I loved their love story in that it's an arranged marriage thing.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:So obviously Fahad is another guy on my watch list in terms of.
Speaker A:I need to catch up more of this filmography.
Speaker B:Yeah, he.
Speaker B:So he's his main attribute, the attribute that he's really known for is his eyes.
Speaker B:Like his acting for his eyes.
Speaker B:Whether it's every emotion, anger, love, emotion, like, you know, sad, all of those.
Speaker B:And again, I come back to saying this is a showcase.
Speaker B:It was like the director was like, I want to show the world the best of us.
Speaker B:Like what all he can do, the range that he has.
Speaker B:Because in this film he does it all.
Speaker B:He does action.
Speaker B:Actually, I shouldn't say all asterisk is he doesn't do romance.
Speaker B:And come back to that.
Speaker B:I'll come back to the fact that he mentioned it's very male centric.
Speaker B:In fact, it is male only.
Speaker B:I think there's like that the only.
Speaker A:Mother is there, right, Who I saw.
Speaker B:Well, there are three women in this film who get any kind of screen space.
Speaker B:The mother does get a lot compared to the other two.
Speaker B:I guess I'll come back to it.
Speaker B:But in this movie, he shows all of that, right?
Speaker B:He shows intensity, playfulness.
Speaker B:He's a gangster, but he's also like a softy.
Speaker B:It's like everything in it.
Speaker B:And as a falafel fan, it was like a dream role written for him and he just knocked it out of the park.
Speaker B:The conceit of the film works great because, you know, the central part of the story is that the.
Speaker B:The students, the college students don't know for sure if he's truly a gangster in the sense.
Speaker B:Like, he.
Speaker B:He never fights.
Speaker B:He always gets other people to fight, but he never actually fights.
Speaker B:And he.
Speaker B:It's almost like a funny character, like a comic character.
Speaker B:And so they're like, is he really, like, threatening?
Speaker B:Is he like really dangerous?
Speaker B:Is he really fearsome character to be someone to be feared?
Speaker B:And then till the end, you don't know as a viewer too, you're, like, unsure, like you're on the side of the college students and you're like, you don't know.
Speaker B:So that journey is fascinating because the end, again, since you haven't watched it, I can't say it.
Speaker A:No, say it.
Speaker A:It's okay.
Speaker A:I'm.
Speaker A:I'm good with.
Speaker B:No, I mean, at the end of the film, you see the true nature.
Speaker B:Fahad Faso's character, Rangan.
Speaker B:So that's the other thing.
Speaker B:The story is very original.
Speaker B:It does.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:At least to my knowledge, it's not based off of anything else.
Speaker B:And so as a viewer, you have no idea what to expect.
Speaker B:You don't know where this movie is going.
Speaker B:Is this like a serious film?
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:Is it a comedy?
Speaker B:And for the same reason I couldn't make that.
Speaker B:You didn't get it.
Speaker B:Yeah, everybody is on that same journey, and only at the end of the film, like, you kind of get the whole picture and that whole enjoyable experience.
Speaker B:So I definitely enjoyed this movie.
Speaker B:Primarily for Fossil, it was because that's what I want to go.
Speaker B:That's what I want to spend hours watching a movie for.
Speaker B:I want to be entertained.
Speaker B:I mean, I can watch, you know, these quote unquote, Oscar bait films.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like the serious films, the more dramatic ones with, like a message in it.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker B:But at the end of the day, I really want to be entertained more than anything else.
Speaker B:When I set aside something we all do to watch a movie or a TV show.
Speaker B:And this film was one where I.
Speaker B:I could, like, I could be on.
Speaker B:I could empathize with those college students in that first kind of act.
Speaker B:And then once Faz.
Speaker B:Faz character enters, now, he is so quirky, he's so interesting, and you're, like, fully invested in, like, what this character is going to do at any given time.
Speaker B:And when it's portrayed by an actor who's probably at the peak of his powers, like, it was just a great, fun experience as a viewer.
Speaker B:It was fun to watch.
Speaker B:And anytime you finish watching a movie and you're like, oh, man, it's already over, like, I, you know, I wish there was, like, it was longer or I wish there was a sequel to this.
Speaker B:You know, like, that means this movie has done really well and the performances was great and the music added to it too.
Speaker B:So it was just overall a movie that I enjoyed.
Speaker B:Now, does it have its fault?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Which is why it's not my top movie of the year in the sense it was not the best movie for me.
Speaker B:It didn't, you know, at certain points you have to kind of buy into or you just have to put away the believability factor because you're like 100%, you know, this will not happen or a person would not behave this way.
Speaker B:A lot of it is, like, to keep the plot moving along, like, you have to suspend your disbelief.
Speaker B:And of course, a lot of people have mentioned the lack of, you know, any major female characters in this film, which I can accept, but also justify by saying this movie did not need to have female characters for the sake of having Female characters.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker A:I, I don't buy this.
Speaker A:That, oh, it's an all male movie and like why isn't there a female.
Speaker A:No, that, that didn't put me off for any.
Speaker B:I would rather have a well written female character.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker B:Than just have someone just shoehorned into for the sake of having it exactly.
Speaker A:Like show pieces.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:That's what a lot of movies did in the past.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:They had no role.
Speaker B:I mean they still do it.
Speaker A:Yeah, they still do it.
Speaker A:So I, I am not carrying the torch of.
Speaker A:Every film has to be about a woman and all that.
Speaker A:No, there are stories to be told.
Speaker B:In fact, one of the most important characters in this film is actually the female character, one of the three character that's in this movie, which is the mother.
Speaker B:She portrays the mother of one of the college students and she effectively leads to.
Speaker B:Or it's not necessarily a twist but she caused.
Speaker B:She's the cause of one of the most critical moments in the climax.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:So it does have its part.
Speaker B:So I don't, I just don't think that, you know, just for the sake of putting like a female character.
Speaker B:Did not.
Speaker B:Because this movie is about these male college students who are looking for a gangster to help them out in this mess.
Speaker B:And so they were true to that.
Speaker B:So for all that reasons, I enjoyed this film a lot.
Speaker B:And I rewatched it and it still had that same thing.
Speaker B:And it's one of those movies I would be like, yeah, I would not mind rewatching this again in like six months or so because he was great.
Speaker A:I liked his entry.
Speaker A:When they think that he's like a taxi.
Speaker A:He's like probably a taxi driver or something like that because of his white suit and his lots of gold chains.
Speaker B:They do mention that.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And then there's a scene of him dancing.
Speaker A:You know, first he's dancing in the.
Speaker A:It's like a take on Kajol's Mere Ka Bo Mei.
Speaker A:So he's dancing when he's getting ready.
Speaker A:So it's, it's.
Speaker A:And there's a scene where one of the guys, his big guys, is trying to shoot a gun on the bridge or something.
Speaker A:And I thought Fahad was hilarious in that.
Speaker B:So yeah, I do have to mention the music by Sushan Shyam.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Absolute killer.
Speaker B:It was just one of the best parts of the film and it enhanced the viewing experience.
Speaker B:So for me I absolutely enjoyed it and I would highly recommend it for people who are not familiar with Fossil to go watch the film.
Speaker B:You're just gonna have A bloody good time.
Speaker B:Even if you don't, you know, think it's the best film, it doesn't matter.
Speaker B:It's not necessarily about being like a perfect film.
Speaker B:But it will be an enjoyable film.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:And Benny, tell me all the students and the senior who rags them and beats them up because he has anger management issues, I'm guessing, were they all very new and raw?
Speaker A:They seemed like that.
Speaker B:Actors, you mean?
Speaker B:Yeah, all of those actors are new.
Speaker A:Yeah, because it just comes out like they're really new.
Speaker B:The performances.
Speaker A:Yeah, nothing was making me and I'm like, why should I be watching?
Speaker A:But only when Fahad came, then you're like, okay, now it's.
Speaker B:Yeah, you could see the gulf in quality because Fahad has been doing this for a while.
Speaker A:And yeah, I felt like back in that scene I'm like, he's so short and teeny weeny.
Speaker A:Why can't we get together and bash him up?
Speaker A:Like, why are you getting beaten up by him?
Speaker B:I mean it all.
Speaker B:I mean again it goes back to that comedy factor.
Speaker B:I mean they mention it too.
Speaker B:Like this guy like this, he has so much intimidation factor to him and it's kind of like really it's not believable.
Speaker B:But that's again adds to the conceit of the show.
Speaker B:It's not meant to be like a serious take on it.
Speaker B:It's actually a comedy.
Speaker B:But it has a surprising emotional depth, especially in the second half in the towards the climax you kind of will get to see the true nature of the character.
Speaker B:So definitely watch it and then let me know your updated thoughts on this.
Speaker A:I'd like to know definitely.
Speaker B: her movies that we enjoyed in: Speaker B:Yeah, do you just want to mention few of the other.
Speaker B:Any other film from last year that you really enjoyed?
Speaker A:Yes, I enjoyed Madgao Express.
Speaker A:Like I said in one line summary, it's Dilshata gone wrong.
Speaker A:They go to Goa, three friends and it's just chaos.
Speaker A:Like they get caught in a drug cartel and it's an utter mess.
Speaker A:But it was hilarious.
Speaker A:And so I like the actor Pratik Gandhi who played Harshad Mehta in Scam.
Speaker A:He is in a comic role in this one.
Speaker A:Like he plays a Guju boy where his family's in South Africa, nri Gujarati boy.
Speaker A:And he nailed it.
Speaker A:So I really enjoyed that.
Speaker A:And there was a nice emotional twist to it at the end which is really nice.
Speaker A:The other one I really liked was Amh Chamkila which is a true story.
Speaker A:Really well act Biljeet Tosant was superb, AR Rahman's music.
Speaker A:Mohit Chauhan is back with Imtiaz Ali.
Speaker A:It cannot go wrong.
Speaker A:And I'm glad because I'm not very gungo about Bollywood music these days.
Speaker A:So it was a pleasant surprise.
Speaker A:On the English ones, Inside out, actually, they say they're kids movies, but Inside out is very much, I feel, adult movie for the adults.
Speaker A:I loved Inside out too.
Speaker A:I loved.
Speaker A:I had loved Inside out one I enjoyed it watching in the theater and I really enjoyed Mufasa Lion King.
Speaker A:Very well done.
Speaker B:That was one of you said you wanted to talk about Mufasa.
Speaker B:So you came very close to it.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:So, yeah, those were my like, yeah.
Speaker A:Top five, if you have to, to talk about.
Speaker B:I watched 82 films last year.
Speaker B:Like all.
Speaker A:You're crazy.
Speaker A:I don't know how you're doing this.
Speaker A:You have kids and I don't know how you're doing this.
Speaker A:Like, I don't.
Speaker B:I should have more time watching priorities, you know.
Speaker B:You know, watch more movies than watching your kids.
Speaker B:Not official advice, by the way.
Speaker B:Okay, so listening to this podcast.
Speaker B:She doesn't listen to this podcast.
Speaker A:Then your seed.
Speaker B:Other movies that I enjoyed.
Speaker B:Now I do have to mention the movie that I enjoy.
Speaker B:Well, the best movie and movie that I enjoyed combined from last year was a movie called Mayor Again.
Speaker A:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker A:Sorry I didn't mention it because we were going to cover it.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:And the reason I mention it is because if we weren't doing another episode on it, obviously that would have been my pick for this episode.
Speaker B:But it got a lot of hype before it released because like I said, the director, his previous film was from 9 to 6, starting with JC that was quite a while ago.
Speaker B:And so there was a lot of expectation on this film and it knocked it out of the park, starring Karthi and Arvind Swami is just two guys talking.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:For most of the film.
Speaker B:But it's about life.
Speaker B:It's about home, what home truly means.
Speaker B:The place where you grow up, the house that you grow up in.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:Stuff that we would take for granted.
Speaker B:But it has it when you think about, when you stop and think about it, you know, the impact it has on you and people around you.
Speaker B:And so it deserves a deep dive.
Speaker B:It deserves a bigger discussion.
Speaker B:And so we're going to save it for a future episode.
Speaker B:So that was a movie that I definitely enjoyed.
Speaker A:I had such a selfish reason to watch it is because I have had a Huge crush on Arvind Swami from Roja days.
Speaker A:And then I missed some of his movies in between because he took a sabbatical and then he came back and I didn't watch a lot of his because he was starring as villain or support roles or whatever and he's not.
Speaker A:And I love the fact that he has aged so, so well.
Speaker A:He's not six packs, he's just like a regular guy.
Speaker A:He's just how a regular guy would age.
Speaker A:No Botox wrinkles on his face.
Speaker A:And I saw him in IC814, the Hindi web series on the kah hijacking.
Speaker A:Terrible.
Speaker A:Do not watch.
Speaker A:Horrible.
Speaker A:But Arvind Swami was a delight.
Speaker A:And I was like, oh my God, so much nostalgia.
Speaker A:And I bringed all my friends, all of us used to have a crush on Arizona because just watch it for him.
Speaker A:And then I watched this movie and me and my childhood friend who've had major crush on Arvind Swami were again like, oh my God, he still got it.
Speaker A:Yes, it's nice.
Speaker A:That was my purely, my selfish reason.
Speaker A:I had no expectations from the movie.
Speaker A:I didn't know what it was and obviously I loved it.
Speaker A:I really, really loved it.
Speaker A:It's just nice to sit back and watch such simple movies.
Speaker B:It's like a.
Speaker B:It's like a nice hug.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker B:As someone is giving you a couple hot coffee.
Speaker B:I don't know, it's just.
Speaker B:It's just a nice cozy film.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I watched it on a Friday night.
Speaker A:I was all by myself and I was watching it and I loved it so much and I had a very good sleep that night because it just made your heart feel so warm.
Speaker A:So yeah, it was really nice.
Speaker A:But we'll talk about it in detail.
Speaker B:Other movies I should mention, as a longtime Marvel fan, I enjoy Deadpool and Wolverine.
Speaker B:It's kind of 50 50, whether you like it or hate it, because I've seen people kind of split down the line on this.
Speaker B:I enjoyed it for the very reasons that some people probably won't like it because it's kind of packed with cameos and like callbacks to previous films and characters.
Speaker B:For me that's again, it kind of goes back to what I said.
Speaker B:When I go to watch a movie, I want to be entertained.
Speaker B:It doesn't always have to make sense.
Speaker B:Sense.
Speaker B:So for me, I just enjoyed that film.
Speaker B:I watched it in the theater with like, you know, so many, with all these people around me and all of us are just like laughing and enjoying.
Speaker B:And for me that's what movies are all about.
Speaker B:Yeah, sure, you have all sorts of movies in all different genres, but at the end of the day, it's supposed to be a fun, memorable experience.
Speaker B:And it did that for me.
Speaker B:And that's not to say I don't enjoy slower, more introspective, deeper films because obviously Maran is one of those.
Speaker B:But there's also the movie that.
Speaker B:I don't know if it released last year or the year before, but the Wild Robot is an animated film.
Speaker A:Yes.
Speaker A:I have this on my watch list.
Speaker A:Vipula told me about this and she cried a lot.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:It's a movie, you know, I love a good, you know, crying movie.
Speaker B:Yeah, this was an animated movie that did it to me.
Speaker A:Has it come on any streaming now?
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:I don't know.
Speaker B:Honestly, I don't know.
Speaker A:Okay, I'll check it out.
Speaker A:But it's on my watch list because the Pulla has told me about it.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Another movie, a Malayalam film, you know, obviously cannot.
Speaker B:Even though I did mention Abhishem, I do have to mention another really well made.
Speaker B:It's like a mystery packed into, like, a relationship drama.
Speaker B:It's got all the classics of a good, solid Malayalam film.
Speaker B:It's called Kishkin the Condom.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And it's.
Speaker B:I'm not gonna say anything about this film.
Speaker B:Watch it and then tell.
Speaker A:Where is it streaming?
Speaker A:Where is it streaming?
Speaker B:It was on prime, the last I checked.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Or.
Speaker B:Or check Disney plus, I guess, in the UK because I think it may have moved to Hulu over here.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:But that is also very intriguing.
Speaker B:My own film.
Speaker B:So these are my.
Speaker B:I mean, I could go on and on because again, I watch 82 films.
Speaker A:Yeah, you watch a lot of films.
Speaker B:There are some films.
Speaker A:One fourth of yours, probably.
Speaker B:Yeah, there are some films that I didn't mention.
Speaker B:I mean, I can just reel off the names.
Speaker B:You know, movies that I enjoyed, like Maharaja, which was another Vijay, I think it was one of the highest grossers for.
Speaker A:Really liked it.
Speaker A:I had to watch it.
Speaker A:He really liked it.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:It's kind of dark, but at the same time, it was a great film in a sense, technically great, with some twists in there.
Speaker B:Another Chamil film called Labar Pandu.
Speaker B:It's like a very village centric film, but it also involves cricket, so I loved it.
Speaker B:A lot of people are talking about Lucky Bhaskar Dulkar Salman's film.
Speaker A:Did you like it?
Speaker B:I did like it.
Speaker B:All right, we can have that discussion later on.
Speaker B:I'm just gonna, like, run through.
Speaker A:Did you Watch Scam.
Speaker A:No, no, no.
Speaker A:First, tell me, did you watch Scam?
Speaker B:I did not watch Scam.
Speaker A:Okay, you have to watch Scam and then compare it to Lucky Pascal because they're related to the same Harid Mehta scandal.
Speaker B:Got it.
Speaker B:Got it.
Speaker A:That's my.
Speaker A:That's why my view is.
Speaker A:I went with a lot of expectations, and it's.
Speaker A:It's Salman Dalkar, right?
Speaker A:Like, I love Salman.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And I was like, what are you guys doing?
Speaker A:This.
Speaker A:This is not.
Speaker A:This is not right.
Speaker B:See?
Speaker B:See?
Speaker B:I'll win you back.
Speaker B:I did enjoy Inside out, too.
Speaker B:One of my favorite films.
Speaker B:Another film which is actually in awards season or consideration for awards is Challengers.
Speaker B:It's.
Speaker B:It's a.
Speaker B:It's an interesting film.
Speaker B:It's not for everyone, but I definitely enjoyed that film.
Speaker B:It was very intense.
Speaker B:And it has an actor.
Speaker B:His name is Josh O'Connor.
Speaker B:He played Prince Char.
Speaker B:Prince Charles in.
Speaker B:In the Crown.
Speaker B:The younger Prince Charles.
Speaker A:The younger.
Speaker B:I think he's gonna be.
Speaker A:I've.
Speaker A:I'm watching his.
Speaker A:Darrell's series.
Speaker A:He's excellent.
Speaker B:Is that the Durrells and Corfu?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Yes, yes.
Speaker B:I have not watched it, but my.
Speaker B:My wife watches it.
Speaker B:I did see him here and there on the screen.
Speaker B:I think he's gonna be one of the big stars in the coming years.
Speaker B:Like, he's gonna be the guy who's gonna be, like, winning, like, awards, like, every other year.
Speaker B:I can just.
Speaker A:100%.
Speaker A:I really like Josh.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So I'm going to just stop there because I'm looking at my list, my letterboxd list, and I'm like, okay, this one.
Speaker B:I like this one.
Speaker B:I like that one.
Speaker B:I'm like, it's fine.
Speaker B:It's fine.
Speaker B:We don't have to talk about all of those.
Speaker B:So it was a good year.
Speaker B:You know, as a movie viewer, it was a great year.
Speaker B:There was, like, a lot of good films.
Speaker B:Obviously, we can't watch every single film.
Speaker B:So none of this is our way of saying this is undeniably the best film of last year.
Speaker B:It's more like this is among the films that we watched.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, the ones that we enjoy the most.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, to be very honest, I saw the Golden Globe nominations and BAFTA nominations, and I haven't watched any of those films.
Speaker B:Same.
Speaker B:I think Challengers was the only one.
Speaker B:I don't even know if it was nominated, but among the films that were being seriously considered, that's the only one.
Speaker A:I watched, you know, which I watched, which got a BAFTA nomination.
Speaker A:Gladiator 2 the most.
Speaker A:Should we do an episode?
Speaker A:Delet.
Speaker B:We could do an episode where we trash the film.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:I so want to trash the film.
Speaker A:Like, how bad is this sequel?
Speaker B:Like, you know, why, why was it.
Speaker A:It's, it's to me the one line summary is the sequel that never should have been made.
Speaker A:That is my view.
Speaker B:Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker B:And it's also painful to me because Gladiator, the first film is my all time favorite film.
Speaker A:Same, same.
Speaker B:So the fact that the sequel is like nowhere close to it.
Speaker B:It's like, wow, what a gulf in terms of quality and performance.
Speaker B:It's like, well, except Denzel.
Speaker B:But overall, yeah, it wasn't great.
Speaker A:It stabbed my heart, like really stabbed my heart because Russell Crowe in I.
Speaker A:I've watched Gladiator in the theater twice.
Speaker A:Every time then and when it's come on the cable channels or wherever it came on any streaming, I have watched it, I watch it, it's.
Speaker A:It's amazing.
Speaker A:And then you go and we watch in the theater, by the way.
Speaker A:So I even got upset.
Speaker B:My brother in law said he walked out after 40 minutes or something and I was like, you made it to 40 minutes.
Speaker A:Good decision.
Speaker A:After this, three of us.
Speaker A:Because all three, we went, my three friends and we were like, oh, it's Gladiator, it's got to be this.
Speaker A:And it was Pedro Pascal.
Speaker A:And I was like, oh, wow, let's go.
Speaker A:And then I was like, well, what did I watch?
Speaker B:Yeah, well, we are going to wrap it up here.
Speaker B:But I mean like I said, there's a lot of stuff that is, you know, fun to talk about from movies from last year.
Speaker B:But I also want to remind people there are a lot of movies that people are waiting on or expecting to watch or looking forward to this year.
Speaker B:And there might be a movie like Oppenheimer for you, which you watch it and then the next day or the same day you were like, we need to do an episode of this.
Speaker B:So, you know, so yeah, we can.
Speaker B:We'll definitely keep an eye out on films like that.
Speaker B:Hopefully there will be some that will drop to our listeners.
Speaker B:I want to thank you all for being patient and giving us your time just to like listen to us gab on about the, about these things.
Speaker B:But I hope you stick with us.
Speaker B:We want to bring more discussions and you know, movies that we loved, movies that we hated and stuff that we just generally want to talk about.
Speaker B:So keep listening, follow us on, you know, social media feeds and subscribe to this channel.
Speaker B:But more than anything else, give us feedback.
Speaker B:We love to hear from you, if you have any suggestions, any strong thoughts on any of the topics or if you agree with me that Jawan was not as bad as what Meenal thinks it is.
Speaker B:Like, you know, we would love to hear from you.
Speaker B:It's all good stuff.
Speaker B:It's all good.
Speaker A:We are on the extreme.
Speaker A:Benny loves everything Sharon does.
Speaker A:Meenal doesn't like anything.
Speaker B:Not everything.
Speaker B:Not everything.
Speaker B:But yes, most of what he does, I do so has a very clear demarcation.
Speaker A:Once Charu started working with KJo, that's ended there.
Speaker A:I don't like any of his work.
Speaker B:You know, speaking of which, I want to do an episode on Karan Arjun.
Speaker B:I think that was probably one of the movies that made me like that hooked me to Shahrukh Khan.
Speaker B:I was like, you're kidding me, right?
Speaker B:Like one of my all time fave Shahrukhal films.
Speaker A:I barely made it into that movie.
Speaker A:But okay, let's go on.
Speaker B:That was the best of Bollywood for me.
Speaker B:Okay?
Speaker B:That's the kind of Bollywood films that I want to watch.
Speaker B:Not the kind of films that they're making these days anyway.
Speaker A:These days?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Making awful films these days.
Speaker A:But I need to introduce you to better Bollywood films.
Speaker A:Not Karanai.
Speaker B:All right, well on that note, thank you all for listening.
Speaker B:Keep listening for more insights like these.
Speaker B:But signing off again, this is your host, Benny and Meeno.
Speaker B:We'll see you at the.
