Film Review at Nation Next: Bucket List

Synopsis: Bucket List, directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, is the story of a simple homemaker from Pune ? Madhura Sane ? played by Madhuri Dixit Nene. After undergoing a heart transplant, Madhura sets out to discover details about her organ donor, only to realise that the donor was a 20-year-old girl named Sai Deshpande. In the process of her discovery, Madhura stumbles upon a list of Sais unfulfilled desires. As a mark of gratitude to Sais heart that is alive in Madhuras body, she strives to complete Sais ?Bucket List. It’s while ticking off items one by one in the bucket list, Madhura finds herself on the path of self-discovery and self-realisation.

Madhura is a traditional yet adventurous, rooted yet free-spirited woman, who when tastes freedom, sheds inhibitions and ditches familial norms to achieve her bucket list. From riding a Harley Davidson and getting sloshed in a pub, to getting arrested by cops and going ?viral, this quintessential ?gruhini? of an upper middle class Maharastrian family starts living life no-holds-barred.

While the director – Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar – has cleverly concealed being in awe of ‘Madhuri – the star,’ his fondness towards ‘Madhuri – the actor’ is palpable in the film. Full marks to 35-year-old Tejas for striking a fine balance in exploring the stardom and acting prowess of Madhuri Dixit, whom he is directing for the first time in ‘Bucket List.’

Ranbir Kapoors cameo appearance in the movie further paces up an already breezy and effortless screenplay. Sumeet Raghavan (Mohan), in a diversion from his charming boyish character ‘Sahil’ of Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai, fits the bill perfectly as Madhuras mature and supportive husband. Madhuras mother-in-law played by seasoned actor Vandana Gupte justifies her role of a Punekar to the T, with her hilarious Hindi dialogues decorated with Marathi accent and words. Resham Tipnis, as Lavina Mewara, portrays the character of a fun-loving and carefree girl, who timely convinces Madhura to commit mistakes, unapologetically.

Renuka Shahane, who plays Sais mother, recreates magic with Madhuri as she reunites with her on the silver screen after 23 years of Hum Aapke Hai Koun..! Veteran actor Shubha Khote effortlessly hogs the limelight as the super-cool Panji? (Madhuras grandmother-in-law). Such is Panjis cool quotient that she recommends Madhura to have tequila shots, wine, whiskey and beer (in the same order) at the pub. She even offers Madhura a spoonful of curd as a good omen before the latter makes her drinking debut!

As a smart marketing move, this family-drama accommodates multiple in-film branding of certain brands i.e. Saraswat Bank, Max Fashion, Make My Trip, etc., which are targeted towards family audience. However, on certain occasions, the branding becomes a bit in the face. Cinematographer Arjun Sorte has done a great job by showcasing locations aesthetically, especially Madhuris picturesque house and the portions shots in Malaysia. Music is soothing! Music composers Rohan Pradhan and Rohan Gokhale have also done a fine job with the background score of the film.

Bucket List becomes dull and dragged in certain scenes (like the pub scene where Madhuri gets into drunken tomfoolery) but, immediately bounces back with emotional moments. At some places, the movie is relatable with the Sridevi starrer English Vinglish, as Madhuras daughter Radhika also trivialises her mother’s efforts, only to realise her worth in the end.

Bucket List is a movie not-to-be missed by Madhuri fans. With chaste Marathi and simple sarees, Madhuri, in her debut Marathi film, is every bit of a domestic goddess, who seduces the camera even in her 50s.

NATION NEXT RATINGS

Film : (4/5) 

Produced by: Vivek Rangachari, Arun Rangachari, Aarti Subhedar, Amit Parikh, Jamashp Bapuna, Ashok Subhedar

Direction: (4/5) Tejas Vijay Deoskar

Performances: Madhuri Dixit Nene (5/5); Sumeet Raghavan (4.5/5), Renuka Shahane (5/5), Vandana Gupte (4.5/5), Shubha Khote (4.5/5)

Story: (4/5) Tejas Vijay Deoskar

Screenplay: (3.5/5) Tejas Vijay Deoskar, Devashree Shivadekar

Lyrics: (3.5/5) Mandar Cholkar, Tejas Vijay Deoskar

Music: (4/5) Rohan Pradhan, Rohan Gokhale

Art Direction: (3.5/5) Siddharth Tatooskar

Cinematography: (3.5/5) Arjun Sorte

Editing: (3.5/5) Abhijeet Balaji Deshpande

Takeaway: Madhuri Dixit Nene scores a ton in her Marathi debut!

Read more| Madhuri Dixit and Renuka Shahane take people down the memory lane by recreating Lo chali main?

The trailer of the upcoming movie Force 2 was released on September 29, 2016 on Viacom 18 Motion Pictures official YouTube account and in just a day the trailer has garnered around three million views! Force 2 is the sequel to the movie Force? which was released in 2011.

While Force was directed by Nishikanth Kamath, Force 2 has been directed by Abhinay Deo. The movie has been produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, John Abraham and Viacom 18 Motion Pictures. John Abraham who played the role of ACP Yashvardhan in Force has reprised his role in the sequel. New additions to the franchise are actress Sonakshi Sinha (who is playing the role of K K – a RAW agent) and actor Tahir Raj Bhasin (who’s playing the role of Shiv ? the antagonist in the movie).

John looks absolutely fantastic as a Mumbai cop with his chiseled physique and Sonakshi too shines as the RAW agent. Both of them are seen involving in some raw action sequences in the trailer and taking on the bad guys. Tahir, who made his official debut in the movie Mardaani in 2014, looks very convincing as the villain. The movie is an ode to those who fight for the country selflessly! Right in the start of the trailer one can see the lines, Dedicated to the Heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country yet remained unnamed and unrecognised.

Takeaway: Don’t navigate from YouTube unless you have seen the complete trailer, for in the last few seconds you will get to see John showing off his perfect body as he picks up a Mercedes!

Force 2 is scheduled for a worldwide release on November 18, 2016.

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