Reviews

I had high expectations from this given the great team behind it, but within an hour, I knew it is not working for me. The main appeal of a biopic is how intriguing the central character is, and in this film, Chamkila, just didn't carry that charisma for me. Diljit Dosanjh tries but there is no spark, no connection, no passion that one should ideally feel while watching musical biopics (think Ray, Elvis, Bohemian Rhapsody, Walk The Line). All he does is try hard at looking innocent and lost in an artistic way. I did appreciate the storytelling experiments, the brilliant songs by AR Rahman (which again can well exist outside the film, they just don't add to the narration in any fruitful way except make it more ambiguous and hence 'poetic' for the cool kids), the camerawork and the lighting making it all very lived in and authentic. Some of the female singers who sing with Chamkila are good too, and they look quite close to reality. However, the film goes down several notches just as Parineeti Chopra enters the frame. She just doesn't look believable as Amarjyot. There is no earthiness to her, her portrayal is just drab and devoid of any color or mischief or energy, the parlor look not helping. I kept waiting for the film to get better but unfortunately it was a messy narration aided with a confused premise. It feels like the director couldn't decide what side to take, between showing Chamkila in a good light and society in a bad, he does start off well, but then it gets so repetitive. There is just no growth in the story. All we keep hearing is, there is this great artist who makes music that sells, and so what if the lyrics are banal/sleazy, it is what the society wants. That's the entire crux of the film. In between you see few things being inserted in the story like his Canada trip, the romantic track (which again feels so filmy and fake), his occasional Rockstar/rebellious moments, his attempts to make religious songs and abide by the religious heads (again shown in a very cynical light).

Towards the end the director starts gathering points to the tragic finale, you see several dialog and sequences that hint at the certain ending rather overtly. But again there is no sense of drama, purpose or thrill to it. The scenes are just so cold that by the time the inevitable end comes, you are just left indifferent.

I feel this film is flawed on so many levels. As someone who has seen the village shows and heard the music of this genre growing up in 80s/90s Rajasthan and Punjab, the live/akhada sequences in the film have just no iota of realism. Just watch any clip of the duo on YouTube and you will see such energy and spark in their performance, which the film just doesn't have. It might work for someone who has never seen the culture up close, and that's another reason why Netflix has produced it, their favorite thing to do is to show India in a bad light, immoral, backward and irredeemable.

Another aspect is the language. While the setting is that of rural Punjab, the characters speak in mixed-Hindi and Punjabi. Why? If the film has subtitles, why can't the characters speak in authentic Punjabi, why this Bollywood-ization of the language? Even if you watch any commercial Punjabi films (quite a few available on Netflix, try Honeymoon for starters), you will find an undeniable earthiness be it the actors or the dialog or the scenes, which is missing here.

The film's take away is that Chamkila was an artist too good for his times. There is just no attempt at showing the larger landscape. If one were to trust the film, there are no artists from Punjab that have come as good as Chamkila. I find this not only preposterous but heavily irresponsible. Unfortunately, majority of audience who will watch this across the world will walk away with that knowledge. To them I can just say, while Chamkila may be good, there are just so many more brilliant artists from Punjab of 70s to 90s, no one may make a flashy, exotified movie on them but they exist in the galaxy of stars too.

Crime as a genre feels overdone in popular culture, no thanks to the overdose of true crime shows and procedurals on streaming platforms. For anyone who consumes such content, nothing piques interest in form or a setup or story that they haven't seen before. Yet, if something well-crafted comes along, you tend to give it a try. I saw Bob Biswas when it released on OTT last Friday, and found it average, it was a largely entertaining small thriller/crime caper set in the underbelly of Kolkata. Few scenes and elements were going on in the head and I decided to rewatch it last night. And this time, I was able to appreciate the nuances, the world building, the characters, the small-town-noir elements a bit more.

Among the few things I liked were how the writing respects the character arcs. Bob Biswas goes from a rather clueless man coming out of a coma to a 'creature of habit' cold-criminal and then again on a path of seeming redemption and back to crime? And in this entire gamut of arcs, Abhishek Bachchan is convincing, in an honesty of craft which he has often shown in his better films. He treats Bob Biswas with his own ingenious mannerisms, the look working very well this time, with the setting, with the sometimes dimwit sometimes laughably confused and sometimes evil with a wink portrayal. On the second watch, I could also appreciate the storyboarding, the comic-book like frames, like the night terrace view in particular, or the ones in the streets. This all feels very lived-in, from an eye of an insider. I never thought I would embrace the mise en scene so much as I did here in another crime film based in Kolkata, having seen quite a few of them.

The writing is fresh here, even when it tackles familiar elements(the backdrop of a drug conspiracy, code of conduct of the crime circles, informers, detectives in disguise, secret diaries, keys to a criminal database).

The casting is superb. I liked the fact that not everyone is your stereotypical Bengali here, nor do you see characters mouthing stuff like Rosogulla or Tagore before you can say Tollygunge. The quirky man-Friday-detective duo is also fresh and not your average paunch-sporting Jishu-Da's. Kali Da(Paran Bandhopadhyay), who I remember from a Ray-tribute-anthology called Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy, is a hoot here, and is winning all the scenery chewing laurels in every review and rightfully so. Chitrangada Singh is a welcome return to well written films and characters like the one she plays here, and not a mere showpiece. Purab Kohli, Tina Desai, Samara Tijori all lend a richness to the atmosphere like perfectly fitting pieces in a crime novel.

The score is above average, the songs are minimal, and really complement the narration.

What the film leaves wanting for more is mostly in the area Bob is most interested in- crime. I could have easily taken some more deliciously crafted kills. You do see the oddball murders happen and they are entertaining in their own zone, but one wishes there were more that explored the brilliant setting, of decrepit buildings, rundown police station backyards, govt. Offices. I understand these are minor quibbles, and more so from the view of an avid crime watcher. Other than that, this is a solid entertainer, which pays off well and in bounds on a repeat watch.

After watching the film, I did check out few scenes from Kahaani(never seen it), and Saswata Chatterjee's Bob Biswas, and found it entertaining. I feel Abhishek Bachchan had a tough challenge on his hands, of taking a one-note-goofy-big-eye character to a complete film that explores the man behind the apparent scare-games and he has successfully done that, and then infused it with some more story-led flesh and blood(excuse the pun) to give us a satisfying mild-crime-Kolkata-noir film.

AR Rahman and 99 Songs make me think of the classic superhero dilemma of Superman - no matter how 'superheroic' you are, you can't be two places at once, you can't save two people at one time. To counter this failing, in a Superman comic storyline(Superman Red and Superman Blue- 1998), Superman can copy himself and multiple versions of him can save all who need to be saved at different points in space and time. Rahman, too, is quite our musical superhero, saving the world of cinema and arts with similar revisions and refreshes.

99 songs has become quite a unifying force, a movement over the last year ..for fans, for one, and also a call for all things original, independent and ones made with purity of thought, creativity and belief. A belief in the power of dreams, a belief in the world changing power of art, and a belief in giving a shot to all that's hidden far beneath the pillars of commerce and success/failure.

It is often said that you shouldn't comment on what you don't understand. And so, I can only comment in a limited capacity on some of my take aways from 99 Songs. I would be ahead of myself if could 'review' this complex film in just one viewing.

All through the years, we have loved, adored and lived AR Rahman's music, but 99 Songs shows us how much he loves music, and understands it to a depth which is not only theoretically scientist-level-mad-crazy but also capable of educating the world, in such an entertaining format. Each chapter, each 'act' in 99 Songs, which could have fallen to traps of formula or template is just so refreshing here, almost like a musical genre(College Rock, Pop, Techno, Bhangra, Rap, Traditional Bhajan and of course, JAZZ!). These acts are woven together, composed together, beat by beat to the plot points and character beats to a great level of success.

99 Songs the film is a world of colors, sounds and characters. To paraphrase Manisha Koirala's character, "you can't separate the art from the artist", so is the case here. The presence of the man, the maestro, is so overpowering, one just can't view it as 'just a film'. And especially, if you are a diehard ARR fan like me, you will see his philosophies, artistic touches, all through the film.

Having said that, 99 Songs stands on its own, as a self-affirmed independent, original film.

Any film on an obsessed, disillusioned artist can't exist without parallels/similarities with other films in the genre, so in 99 Songs, too, you often get taken to a scene in Rockstar here and Tamasha there.

Sometimes the theories a film gives outlive them..and are better than the film...here they are equal.

Like we often quote theories from Imtiaz Ali films. But when we see them in the film, they are not that striking or that hard-hitting.

I would like to think of this film as revisionist in its approach to the theme and the central plot. The makers know what we have seen time and again, and do not want to bore us with the same the same again, hence you do not 'see' many events unfolding- the journey of Jay as a 'singer and musician', from stage-shy days to one performing confidently in the college band.

In the many dynamics etched finely, I particularly loved the one between Jay and Polo, it almost make me think of Ehan Bhat and AR Rahman, from what's seen in the multiple media appearances, the same unsaid and intuitive understanding, mutual respect and bro-bonding.

When you are mounting such a grand film, there is bound to be a few things that stick out, and here for me, it was the 'love story'. I was just not convinced with it. And it is not a bad thing and might as well be a very conscious narrative and style choice too. But I was badly hoping for a finale that rewards me with an unconventional take...

Everyone might see the film differently. Fans will relate to each musical note, each frame taking them back to the maestro himself and his world of creativity. There is also a whole lot of 'new' here - from the fresh approach to visual design, a very 'music video' like editing style, a bold screenplay in quite a few places. I loved the little touches, like someone whispering "your daughter sings and looks great" to Jay's father(when his wife is singing on stage), or Polo's father overanalyzing his choice of T-shirts and doing the dad thing so nonchalantly, or even the refreshing cold open with the female lead and male lead introduced without any cinematic hang-ups whatsoever.

For this film to hit in these times (of both depressing 'current affairs' and depressing 'content'), where anything can be made and put on OTT platforms with a guarantee of certain 'hits', is quite revolutionary. We may only realize the worth of this film, much like Rahman's music, in the years to come. It is easy for me when I sit as a critic to point out the flaws and what could be better and what was mediocre, but 99 Songs achieves way more than you may expect from it.

I honestly didn't expect much after the first teaser, it looked too formulaic to me(great job, teaser maker!)- a love story on the rocks and an 'artist' on the run with a hint of drug usage and mental health problems. How it manages to give you a different and a refreshing watch is all credit to AR Rahman, Ehan Bhat and Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, for breaking away from the templates, be it taking the focus away from showing an angst ridden protagonist to giving each lyric, each word in each song a brilliant script wise juxtaposition. Even the dialogs hit so well at times. Rarely does one see a line from a song quoted by a character in a scene, and that too with such poignance and success as we see here for 'O Ashiqa' .

Coming to the songs...the songs! One must appreciate how each song(audio-wise at first and in the film too, is not meant to be swashbuckling 'awesome'; again something we are not used to, as music composers are always asked to give a chart-topper for every situation in the film).

AR Rahman songs have always stunned fans and film audience through the years, in how they appear and look in the films. In an era when even Maniratnam has revised the use of a Rahman song in a film, it is but expected that a very world-wise film like 99 Songs will not give you the images that you have in mind on screen. I would love to know about the 'general audience' who is hearing these songs for the first time in the film and how they 'feel'. For us fans, they are almost in the bloodstream now.

It's akin to a concert where the beginning notes of an oft heard song sends you into frenzy

Sofia - opens the film beautifully, again surprised me with the visuals

Teri Nazar - I was choking up throughout the song. It just hit me like a thunderstorm, the unassuming way the song kicks in and takes you in its grasp.

Humnawa - not my favorite picturization, this was quite a formulaic situation(hero playing at a ball with a grand piano with the heroine smiling away in glee and heroine's rich dad hyper-observing the hero, no pressure) lifted somewhat by the design/VFX. But the song really makes its presence worth it due to the placement and the scene(Chief Minister) that comes after it.

Soja Soja - I was a little humdrum about the way the Casino/Jazz Bar is set in Shillong, and how the song starts in the film, but it more than redeems itself in that fantastic second half(bringing in Sofie's emotional breakdown) and that rat-a-tat musical revenge of a bro-off jugalbandi...is something only AR Rahman can visualize so beautifully. Emotions and drum-beats ride high in this portion of the film, and this scene in particular is the standout.

Nayi nayi is great, in how it moves the story.. again very refreshing and revisionist.

Jwalamukhi - We had all seen most of the video but it is even better in the film, where Sofie's character reaches a breakaway point.

The Oracle and The Enigma themes keep running through the film in myriad manifestations and styles(signature ARR touch). And one couldn't end the film better, with The Oracle literally engulfing everything in its musical madness, took me back to 127 Hours' Liberation and even Dil Se, in the way it traces the 7 stages of love - Hub(attraction), Uns(Infatuation), Ishq(Love), Aqeedat(Reverence), Ibadat(Worship), Junoon(Obsession) and Maut(Death). What I also loved the fact about the end is the ambiguity, the dream-scape bit of it.

O Ashiqa- I think Rahman understands what his fans have been longing for. Through the years(and decades) the grand song's moment in the sun is short-lived(except when you have all the time in the world, looking at you, Lagaan). In O Ashiqa, we get a creative catharsis, it is almost a winking nod to the fans, in building a utopian world where everyone is hooked to an AR Rahman masterpiece and not some obscure pop-rap-whatever number that has 799 million views in a week. Also loved the now-anthemic swell in the 'mom' portion almost playing as a modern-day Jailhouse Rock.

Few more beats I loved, story and screenplay wise, in a film that has a lot of narrative devices, tells us that this has been workshopped a lot

Loved that a film actually shows the writer's block...rarely do films capture it to this depth(Rockstar showed it but..let's not get me started on Rockstar).

The layered approach to the 'ambition' theme; it takes conviction to take the path of music, without knowing how successful it will be..to follow instinct.. to have a belief..

How the 'Self-obsession of artists' is foreshadowed and is an arguable beat throughout

There is no character in the film who blabbers...everyone has a purpose...

That fantastic fraction of a scene where Manisha Koirala and Rahul Ram's character nod to each other, makes one almost think the possibility of the whole mother angle being a set-up?

Take a bow, 99 Songs!