Raaz Reboot Movie Review

Raaz Reboot movie review: This mystery is better left unsolved

Raaz Reboot movie cast: Emraan Hashmi, Gaurav Arora, Kriti Kharbanda
Raaz Reboot movie director: Vikram Bhatt

The fourth edition of the Raaz series takes us to Romania, specifically Transylvania, just so the caretaker of a large house can intone: yes, this is Dracula country. Instantly, you want to look out for skulking fellows in black robes, empty eyes, and bloody fangs. Instantly, you are all prepared to shiver and shudder.

Instead, you shake with laughter that is entirely unintended. Because Rahaan (Gaurav Arora) and his pretty wife Shaina (Kriti Kharbanda), and a shadowy blast from her past Aditya (Emraan Hashmi) spend all their time talking thusly: ‘kuch toh raaz hai’, ‘kya raaz hai’, ‘kahin toh raaz chhupa hai’, ‘yeh raaz hamein alag kar dega’, over and anon, till this purported ‘raaz’ starts coming out of our ears, but refuses to come in front of our eyes.

Meanwhile, there are some moments which are meant to be scary—whispers from a drain, blood flowing from objects, painted faces with empty eyeballs. And we are treated to scenes which look as if they have been ‘inspired’ from The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity, and many of Bhatts’ own previous outings with creatures who scale walls and make animal noises.

There’s an evil spirit around, declares a ‘psychometrist’. A soothsayer goes into hysterics. A priest invokes the name of the lord. But, the one thing that saves the good guys and vanquishes the bad ‘un is, drumroll, an ancient ‘mantra’, and the power of a good wife.

Suck on that, all ye who propagate the use of garlic buds and crosses to defeat blood-sucking vampires. Whether is ‘des’ or ‘vides’, no ‘buri aatmaa’ or plain vanilla ‘bhoots’ can stand up against the might of the ‘mangalsutra’. Or, we must hasten to add, a plaintive ‘sufi’ song. One is enough. Both together can chase anything away from anywhere, including the poor chumps who have paid to be scared.

 Watch | Raaz Reboot movie trailer

PS: Emraan Hashmi doing mouth-to-mouth we can deal with even if it is ultra-familiar. But Hashmi in a man bun? Now that’s apt for a horror film.

Pink The Movie

Pink Movie Review

Sexual consent is a very simple concept. No means no means no.

In this week’s release, Amitabh Bachchan as the lawyer Deepak Sehgal says, "No is not a word but an entire sentence. It doesn’t matter if the girl is your girlfriend, a sex worker, or even your wife, no means no."

For decades, Bollywood has taught that stalking is romantic and ‘chhod do aanchal’ is just another phase in a relationship. And, the pattern hasn’t changed. Whether it’s Sholay’s Basanti (Hema Malini) or Sultan’s Aarfa (Anushka Sharma), it doesn’t take long for our leading ladies to succumb to the aggressive advances of our heroes. In most cases, it happens in the space of a song.

The impression clearly is that consent is theoretical. If a man harasses a woman enough she will ultimately say ‘yes’.

Pink, however, makes amends. In no uncertain words, the film underlines a woman’s freedom to her body and sexuality. A woman can smile and be friendly with a man she’s just met. She can have a drink or two with him. She can be wearing jeans and be at a rock concert. She can also be sexually experienced. But when she says no, it’s hands off.

Pink addresses society’s unmistakable double standards; male privilege, slut-shaming and misogyny women across the country are faced with on a daily basis.

In Pink, Meenal (Tapsee Pannu), Falak (Kirti Kulhari) and Andrea (Andrea Tariang) are young, independent, modern women. They party; have male friends; wear skirts and shorts; smoke and drink and they live on their own.

All this automatically makes them promiscuous and therefore sexually available. One of the young men accused of accosting the girls sneers as he says ‘aisi ladkiyon ke saath aisa hi hota hai’ (this is what happens to girls like them).

What is scary is just how real Pink is. This could happen to any Indian women anywhere. Every woman I know has walked out after watching the film thinking ‘I know exactly what those girls went through’. 

Three years of studying in Delhi University meant travelling by local DTC buses. Carrying a safety pin to poke any man who got too close or keeping my head down so as to not acknowledge any man’s stare came very naturally.

Just two years ago, a couple I know in Gurgaon got into an altercation with some men bothering the woman. The man attacked the husband with beer bottles. Not only did the cops refuse to file the case but even arrested the husband for ‘disturbing peace’. The cops and the attackers harassed the couple for months before they finally lost interest. But like Deepak Sehgal, I digress.

This film is a giant leap for Bollywood not as much for the multiple themes it addresses but also in the portrayal of its women. The ‘ideal’ woman according to Bollywood is the sanskari girl who would sing bhajans, cook the perfect rotisand take care of everyone in the family.

There have been iterations to this prototype over the decades but it’s core remains intact. Foreign-educated Prem (Salman Khan) in Maine Pyar Kiya picks the coy conservative Kusum (Bhagyashree) over the vamp who is dressed in minis. In the more recent Cocktail, Gautam (Saif Ali Khan) shares a bed with wild-child Veronica (Deepika Padukone) but falls in love with the shy, angelic Meera (Diana Penty).

Not only does Pink turn this stereotype on its head, how the women deal with sexual violence is also refreshing. The three women go through a gamut of emotions from wanting to forget, to compromise and finally bravely facing the assailants in court.

Remember a time when the only alternative available to a woman after being sexually violated was to either commit suicide so the male protagonist could avenge her or to become a nautch girl.

In the much-awarded Mausam, Kajli (Sharmila Tagore) ends up in a brothel after being molested by an uncle. A similar fate befalls Banto (Hema Malini) in the 1976 film Jaaneman.

Pink might not be cinematically perfect or tell us anything new. A glance at the news is enough to know about the shackles of patriarchy that bind women all around the country.

But it does bring the conversation about gender equality and patriarchy into the mainstream. Just for that, Pink is essential viewing.

Outlook for SBI for the week (September 19, 2016 – September 23, 2016)

Outlook for SBI for the week

SBIN closed the week on negative note losing around 3.70%.

As we have mentioned last week that minor support for the stock lies in the zone of 258 to 260. Support for the stock lies in the zone of 245 to 247 where 500 Daily SMA is lying. If the stock manages to close below these levels then the stock can drift to the levels of 235 to 238 where short term moving averages are lying. During the week the stock manages to hit a low of 252 and close the week around the levels of 254.

Minor support for the stock lies in the zone of 250 to 252. Support for the stock lies in the zone of 245 to 247 where 500 Daily SMA is lying. If the stock manages to close below these levels then the stock can drift to the levels of 238 to 240 where short term moving averages are lying.

Minor resistance for the stock lies in the zone of 262 to 264. Resistance for the stock lies in the zone of 272 to 275. If the stock manages to close above these levels then the stock can move to the levels of 288 to 290 from where the stock has sold off in the month of August – 2015.

Broad range for the stock in the coming week can be 245 to 247 on lower side to 264 to 266 on upper side

Nifty Prediction 19 September 2016

Nifty Prediction

Nifty ended the week on negative note losing around 1.00%.

As mentioned last week that minor support for the index lies in the zone of 8800. Support for the index lies in the zone of 8700 to 8730 from where the index broke out of the short term top. If the index manages to close below these levels, then the index can drift to the levels of 8600 to 8650 where short term moving averages are lying. During the week the index manages to hit a low of 8689 and close the week around the levels of 8780.

Support for the index lies in the zone of 8680 to 8710 from where the index broke out of the short term top. If the index manages to close below these levels, then the index can drift to the levels of 8600 to 8650 where short term moving averages are lying.

Minor resistance for the index lies in the zone of 8850. Resistance for the index lies in the zone of 8950 to 9000. If the index manages to close above these levels, then the index can move to the levels of 9100 where life time high for the index is lying.

Broad range for the week is seen from 8600 on downside to 9000 on upside