Category: Movies

Bollywood Meets Broadway: How Om Shanti Om Echoes The Phantom of the Opera
Bollywood, a word enough to remind you of those grandeur sets and energetically charming dances, is often known to derive inspiration from multiple sources. One such film, which will never be forgotten by history would be Om Shanti Om. Paranormal, romance, comedy, drama, masala, the film encompasses them all. Commonly known to be derived from films such as Karz and Madhumati, the film explores the theme of reincarnation and revenge. But did you know that there’s one unlikely connection of Om Shanti Om with Hollywood and Broadway? That’s right, there are eerie parallels between Om Shanti Om and The Phantom of the Opera: Yeah, that musical by Andrew Llyod Webber!
Obvious SPOILERS for the two films, so grab some popcorn and watch em’ before we explore the similarities between Om Shanti Om and The Phantom of the Opera:
Om Shanti Om and Phantom of the Opera, both portray A Twisted Love Triangle: The Phantom and The Ghost, including two dark rivals…
The plots for both films revolve around very twisted love triangles. Om Shanti Om explores the themes of rebirth and even portrays the ghost of Shanti Priya, who’s a part of the love triangle composed of Om, Shanti and Mike (Shanti’s husband); Whereas The Phantom of the Opera revolves around Raoul, his fiancée Christine and Erik, the disfigured ‘phantom’ who lives beneath the Palais Garnier and whom Christine considers her ‘Angel of Music’.
Om Shanti Om and Phantom of the Opera: They got the same production design for Palais Garnier and RC Studios.
Palais Garnier in The Phantom of the Opera
RC Studios in Om Shanti Om
Now come on Bollywood, this one’s a blatant ripoff at this point! 😭 Literally the same set design but beautiful, nevertheless!
The Belle Époque Themes annnndd the The Masquerade Party!
The Phantom of the Opera is obviously set in the Belle Époque era while the Bollywood ‘counterpart’ shares similar aesthetics, especially for the finale song.
Even those masks behind resemble the one worn by the Phantom!
Moreover, if you take a closer look at the masks worn by the background dancers, you can’t help but note the similarities with the phantom’s mask!
The Phantom’s mask at the masquerade party.
Similar costume design and concept, for the final arc!
Umm…
If anything, this reinforces the point about similar aesthetics. I mean, are we gonna pretend that these are different costumes!? But whatever, the medieval frill shirts sure go hard, especially for the finale in both films (not to mention it’s culturally apt for the Phantom of the Opera)! And do you remember how both the lovers of the love triangle face off each other in the end, and the female leads wonderfully take charge of the situation? Ahem, let’s pretend we did not notice that similarity.
The Final Nail in the Coffin: Fall of the iconic chandelier!
The fall of those chandeliers is one of the major climactic moments shared across both films. In Om Shanti Om, the ghost of Shanti Priya uses it to kill her former husband and abusive partner, Mike, whereas in the Phantom of the Opera, Erik (the titular character) uses it as a distraction to elope with Christine, when she pulls off his mask, revealing his disfigured face.
Last but not least: THEY BOTH GOT A COMMENDABLE SOUNDTRACK!
Okay, this is a similarity that absolutely stands out, but albeit in a different way: both movies are known to be musicals and for their melodious chansons (that’s French for songs, learn it!). Different musical styles, yet gentle to your ears. Om Shanti Om pays homage to Bollywood music across different eras while being completely original with their soundtracks. Wanna chill with some Om Shanti Om playlist to experience the magic yourself? Here you go:

However, Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer of The Phantom of the Opera musicals and the movie, has faced a fair share of those plagiarism allegations, especially for the title track of the musical/film. The signature part of the title track was plagiarised from Echoes by Pink Floyd and Till You by Ray Repp. Pink Floyd decided not to pursue the legal route, while Ray Repp filed a lawsuit against Webber that lasted for nearly a decade. Ultimately, the jury ruled in Webber’s favour in 1998, since he was able to demonstrate that he composed the song for Sarah Brightman, his then-wife. He further stated that the piece was inspired by his own previous works and some compositions in the public domain.
Listen to the comparison here:

Regardless, you can’t deny how amazing the soundtrack for the film is:

Overall, Om Shanti Om serves as a homage to those reincarnation movies, especially from Bollywood, and those timeless songs, which refuse to go out of style, all while borrowing some aesthetics inspired by The Phantom of the Opera. The Bollywood musical definitely stands out as its own thing. Meanwhile, if you wanna watch a bold experimental Indian film with some ‘video game-y’ music and Bulgarian choir in its soundtrack, don’t forget to click here and check out Tumbbad.
May 30, 2025
The Success of Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Proves that More Anime Needs to be Licensed in India
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Official Poster
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 India: It was a pleasant Sunday and surprisingly, JJK0 was already in it’s 3rd week of theatrical run here in India. Although I’m not a big fan of the franchise, I decided to watch it anyways being the weeb I am. The best seats for the show were filling up fast, so we booked right before heading towards our destination.
“Huh, we could have booked directly at the box office and still bagged the best seats. After all it’s been 3 weeks and we can expect an empty show now”, I thought to myself.
But boy was I wrong!
To my surprise: the film was still going strong, with 70% of the screen booked and all the best seats now being unavailable! Earning 5.4 Crore on the opening weekend itself, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 has given a tough competition to most Bollywood releases, even in their homeland. It wouldn’t take a statistician to understand why more movie theater chains bought the rights to Jujutsu Kaisen 0 soon after PVR did. Moreover, the success of Makato Shinkai’s Weathering With You (Tenki no Ko) and Demon Slayer: Mugen Train had already proved how financially successful anime films can be in India.
Yes, I usually look this good in real life 👍🏻
It’s NOT Just About The Numbers…
The iconic Toho logo pops up and the entire theater is filled with applause and ‘yowai mo‘; meanwhile there I was, resisting my primal urge to shout ‘Eren Yeager‘ during the screening of a film from a totally irrelevant franchise. Films catering to a niche audience carry a different atmosphere and vibes as compared to the usual blockbuster releases.
The iconic logo of Toho distribution company, seen before most Japanese films.
The Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Hype: It’s also about the craze of Indian Otakus!
You know the thing about niche audience? They can be crazy and overly enthusiastic (generally in a good way, of course). Like, one of my friends travelled more than 250km, from Akola to Nagpur, only to watch JJK0!
Not only does this shed light on the fact that Indian Otakus can be crazy and dedicated, but also shows that if anime is legally available, we can go any lengths (both: literally and figuratively) to pay and experience it!
Now the question is, how will the anime industry’s business be scaled up here in India?
Yes, we have YouTube channels like Muse Asia and Ani-One offering some anime shows for free, but let’s not overlook the fact that most popular series still aren’t available there.
Crunchyroll’s Pro Move…
Ask yourself, what is the easiest way to make a hit film break it’s own barriers? Make it more accessible by dubbing it into different languages! And Crunchyroll‘s using the same formula by offering the Hindi dubbed version of two of it ‘s most popular selections: Ranking of Kings and My Dressup Darling! The Hindi catalog will gradually increase.
Here’s a pic of Marin Kitagawa to keep you reading (Courtesy: My Dressup Darling)
Now, before we move further, yes I strongly agree that it’s better to watch stuff in it’s original language and read the subtitles, but dubbing it is a sure shot way to increase it’s reach. And hey, isn’t it fun to re-watch stuff in our mother tongue too? 😂
Also, for all those who aren’t familiar, Crunchyroll is a subscription based streaming service like Netflix but exclusively for anime (they offer an online library of manga too).
What’s more? They have even drastically lowered their subscription fees (by 90%) for us Indian users starting from only ₹79 per month, compared to the previous price of $7.99 (₹640 approx).
Crunchyroll‘s new pricing schemes!
There has never been a better time to be a Desi-Otaku!
But There’s One BIG Bottleneck…
Before we get all fired up about these new announcements, allow me introduce you to one MAJOR problem, that can wash away all the sincere efforts by these big firms: LICENSING!
You decide to get a new Crunchyroll all looks good. BUT, then you discover that popular anime like Attack on Titan isn’t even available to watch in India (it’s manga is probably the only official thing that’s legally available here). The only reason it’s popular here is word of mouth and uhmmm… ℗i®@cy! (Even the show’s manga must have seen a boost in sales here due to the illegal streaming of the show itself.)
And for SOME popular selections that are available (note that I lay emphasis on ‘some’): like say Kaguya Sama: Love is War, the first season or some episodes mid-way would be missing!
Are you telling me that someone who hasn’t watched the show should directly begin with Season 2!? 🤨
* Shocked Chika Noises *
Or maybe they should get a Netflix subscription only to watch the first season of Kaguya Sama and then watch the rest of the seasons on Crunchyroll (Here in India, Netflix has Kaguya Sama’s first season only)!
Yup, that’s the problem with licensing! It leads to limited catalog for some countries and also prevents an already available shows from being available in their entirety.
~~No wonder why people resort to piracy.~~
Licensing in Merchandise
Fans love to own a piece of their favorite shows in real life, and hence they turn towards merchandise. But for merch that isn’t available, people would for the alternative: unlicensed merch, the most common being printed T-shirts. Or the ones who can afford it, would ship it unofficially from random e-commerce sites. Indirectly, merchandising would boost popularities of a franchise by encouraging more discussion in the community.
Ans as mentioned already, for a show like Attack on Titan which isn’t licensed in India, has ironically seen a boost in the sales of it’s manga (which is legally available here) due to pirated streaming of the show. Heck, I ordered a set of AoT action figures and the fact that they sent another Hange in place of Levi proves that they aren’t official merch of the show! 🙄
Once these licensing issues are sorted, there’s nothing stopping the growth of Otaku culture in India!
Yup, I got these Attack on Titan action figures and they aren’t even official! (Note the two Hange figures)
It’s high time for production houses to accept the fact that: India will welcome popular anime franchises with open arms!
And regarding the sale of unlicensed merch, let’s encourage more licensing opportunities to make them official and promote a relationship of mutual benefit between the production teams and the sellers.
Thank you!
You can read more from Utopian Corps here.
July 22, 2022
Rendering on the Cloud: The Journey from the Old School Render-farms to Cloud Based Render Systems!
Cloud Rendering? Why’s that necessary?
It takes around 24 hours to render each frame of a Disney-Pixar film. In fact, Pixar Animation Studios recently rendered it’s superhero-flick, Big Hero 6, on a supercomputer with 55k cores.
“We have said it many, many times. We made the movie on a beta renderer”
– Andy Hendrickson, CTO at Disney Animation
The renderer Andy referred to was Hyperion, an in-house rendering software by Pixar which could simulate real-world lightning. The lightning tricks and using the real world data of the city of San Francisco costed them enormous render time. Therefore, they used a supercomputer cluster which was distributed across four geographic locations.
Thankfully, indie animators and small studios won’t have to do that or wait for years if they want to render their films and VFX shots.
But before we tell you that, let’s answer the following question:
What is Rendering?
Rendering is the process involved in the generation of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image from a model utilizing application programs. Rendering is necessary for architectural designs, video games, and animated movies, simulators, TV computer graphics, and style visualization. The techniques and features used vary consistent with the project. Rendering helps increase efficiency and reduce cost in design.
There are two categories of rendering: pre-rendering and real-time rendering. The striking difference between the two lies in the speed at which the computation and finalization of images take place.
Real-Time Rendering
Image Credits: Unity
The prominent rendering technique using interactive graphics and gaming where images must be created at a rapid pace. Since user interaction is high in such environments, real-time image creation is required. Dedicated graphics hardware and pre-compiling of the available information has improved the performance of real-time rendering.
Pre-Rendering
A pre-rendered still from the film Spider-man: Far From Home
This rendering technique is employed in environments where speed isn’t a priority and therefore the image calculations are performed using multi-core central processing units instead of dedicated graphics hardware. This technique is generally utilized in animation & VFX, where photorealism must be at the very best standard possible.
Rendering for 3D/CGI Work
3D rendering is that the process of a computer taking raw information from a 3D scene (polygons, materials, and lighting) and calculating the ultimate result. The output is usually a single image or a series of images rendered & compiled together.
Rendering is typically the ultimate phase of the 3D creation process, with the exception being if you’re taking your render into Photoshop for post-processing.
If you’re rendering an animation it will be exported as a video file or a sequence of images that can later be stitched together. One second of animation usually has at least 24 frames in it, so a minute of animation has 1440 frames to render. This can take quite a while.
There are generally considered two types of rendering:
- CPU Rendering
- GPU Rendering (Suitable for real-time rendering)
The difference between the two lies in the difference between the two computer components themselves.
CPUs are often optimized to run multiple smaller tasks at the same time, whereas GPUs generally run more complex calculations better.
Generally, GPU rendering is far faster than CPU rendering. This is what allows modern games to run at around 60 FPS. CPU rendering is best at getting more accurate results from lighting and more complex texture algorithms.
However, in modern render engines, the visual differences between these two methods are almost unnoticeable except in the most complex scenes.
CPU Rendering
CPU rendering (sometimes mentioned as “pre-rendering”) is when the pc uses the CPU because the primary component for calculations.
It’s the technique generally favoured by movie studios and architectural visualization artists.
This is due to its accuracy when making photorealistic images and the fact render times are not a considerable issue for these industries.
Although render times can vary wildly and may become very long.
A scene with flat lighting and materials with simple shapes can render out in a matter of seconds. But a scene with complex HDRI lighting and models can take hours to render.
An extreme example of this is in Pixar’s 2001 film Monsters Inc.
Monsters Inc.
The main character Sully had around 5.4 million hairs, which meant scenes with him on screen took up to 13 hours to render per frame!
To combat these long render times many larger studios, use a render farm.
Render Farms
‘New York’ by Ander Alencar
Render farm is a data-center with multiple GPUs/CPUs. Due to the presence of several devices, multiple frames can be rendered together. This helps reduce overall render time for films, VFX and architectural visualizations.
How long it takes to calculate one single frame highly depends on the:
- complexity of the scene
- render settings
- available computing power
Rendering complex scenes can hence take hours.
Taking a simple scene as an example. A computer system that can calculate a simple scene in 10 seconds, still needs about 4 hours to calculate a minute-long sequence. Hence, the system will be unusable for those hours.
It’s not uncommon for a high-quality animation based on complex 3D scenes with composite lighting calculations to take up to 30 minutes of calculation per frame; Which may also lead to over-heating of the devices!
So, how do indie-artists and filmmakers make sure their sweet little devices don’t burn up in this thermal hell? Simple answer: Don’t use them for rendering! No wait, this ain’t a sick joke!
Imagine this: How good it would be to have on demand render farms on rent, available for FREE-to-negligible price? And yeah, it is possible! Thanks to the power of the ‘cloud’!
Enter: Cloud Computing!
Avatar 2 will be rendered on AWS Cloud, by WETA Digital!
Weta Digital, the VFX studio that has 6 Academy Awards for Visual Effects and has worked on blockbusters like Avatar, Avengers: Endgame and Alita: Battle Angel, has recently shifted to an AWS Cloud Render Farm for the production of Avatar 2. WETA is the largest single-site VFX Studio in the world, based in Wellington, New Zealand.
Credits: Luma Pictures/Spider-man: Far from Home
Luma Pictures decided to go for Google Cloud for rendering the VFX shots of Spider-Man: Far From Home. The probable reason for using GCP might be due to the introduction of Elementals (Earth, Water & Fire Monsters)and the notorious anti-hero known as Mysterio, who is known for his spectacular sparkling effects. The physics, fabric and fluid-particle simulations required for the portrayal of above mentioned characters could be extremely time consuming. Google Cloud reduced the render time to 1/5th of the local render-farm time, helping them deliver the movie to the audience at the right time!
How do VFX Studios render on the AWS Cloud?
Image Credits: AWS
A Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) is created with Amazon EC2 G3 instances & SSDs. G3 instances provides access to the powerful NVIDIA Tesla M60 GPUs. AWS Direct Connect helps in connecting the on-premises workstations to the VPC.
AWS Direct Connect is a physical ethernet fiber-optics cable that connects the workplace network to the virtual private cloud. One end is connected to your internal network router and the other one is connected to the AWS Direct Connect router at their data center.
The VFX artists can work on their high-end workstations (Windows/Linux) consisting of: 2k displays, drawing tablets, keyboard, mouse and most importantly: a Teradici PCoIP Client. The PCoIP client connects them with the EC2 instances on the cloud.
Teradici is the developer of PCoIP (PC over IP). It is a Remote Desktop Protocol. These PCoIP clients help in remotely controlling the computers on the private cloud (more precisely: instances). The client can also detect input from drawing tablets, which can sense up to 8k different levels of pressure.
Fun fact: Luma Pictures now plans to install a direct connection to Google Cloud (Region: Los Angeles), which is similar to AWS Direct Connect. This will result in higher bandwidth and lower latencies, which would be beneficial for their future productions.
How can Indie Filmmakers & Studios Render on the Cloud?
Blender is a popular CGI suite among Artists & Indie Filmmakers
For smaller studios or independent animators using an open-source CGI Suite like Blender, the process might be even easier and faster. Here are a few methods for rendering on cloud using Blender:
- Let’s begin with a quick-fix: use the GPU provided by Google Colab! As inefficient & silly it sounds, it’s good if you are aiming for a short animated clip lasting for a few seconds. You can directly render your ‘.blend’ file with this python script: BlenderRender.ipynb — Colaboratory (google.com)
- Using AWS is extremely efficient for longer clips or physics intensive animations. Simply choose a P or G type Amazon EC2 Instance running a recent Linux AMI, and install Blender along with the necessary NVIDIA Drivers. Setup the script required to enable GPU rendering (Credits: Fajrul Falah). Google Cloud Platform setup requires similar steps.
- The third option is a paid alternative and requires monthly subscription (starting from 50$ USD) provided by RenderStreet. It is available on the AWS Marketplace (as a SaaS): Monthly rendering subscription for 3D projects (Blender / Modo) (amazon.com)
Conclusion: Rendering can take hours and even generate a lot of heat. You can save your GPU cores from burning up and deliver the project on time, thanks to cloud rendering! Use it to the fullest! 🙂
Also, if you are preparing for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification (SAA-C02), here’s a great practice test set by Neal Davis:
- Amazon.com: https://amzn.to/2VwKUoK
- Amazon.in: https://amzn.to/3mECFD5
Although I’m not affiliated to Neal Davis and his company, but I’ve enrolled for his courses and would definitely recommend his content. Please note that these are affiliate links and I may earn a small commission from them. 🙂

Thanks for reading! 🙂
Co-authored by Mohit Naik
December 3, 2020
SCOOB: 10 Reasons Why The Film Sucks!
Scoob!
Scoob, the much hyped film, commencing the Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe (or so we are calling it) by Warner Bros. is finally here! Of course it’s no theatrical release for those splendid visuals due to the Covid-19 crisis, but thankfully (or maybe not) we have a web-release. And this may seem to be huge disappointment but, in spite of the marvelous technical aspects, the film has received negative reviews from the critics. I had been excited for the film since the day it was announced, back in June 2014 when it was initially supposed to be a live-action reboot of the Scooby-Doo films. Sadly, watching Scoob was an experience full of yawns, even for a die-hard fan like me. But I promise you, that there is a good news at the end of the post!

1. The Change in Genre from Mystery to Adventure
A still from Scooby-Doo Where Are You? Good old days!
Scooby Doo has always been known as mystery-horror whodunnit for kids and changing it to a purely treasure-hunt adventure film is the stupidest mistake one can ever make. We were promised a cool origin story and unfortunately, the origin of Mystery Inc. is treated as a neglible detail in the flick. Also, with Shaggy and Scooby abducted, the rest of the gang is on their own, killing the fun.
2. Fred isn’t the Classic Fred!
Fred in Scoob!
What comes to your mind when you think about the characteristics possessed by Fred? The one who leads, the one who drives and the one who is the alpha of the pack! Apologies on spilling the pudding (no, don’t Google it… it’s a phrase I made up just now) but he isn’t that Fred in Scoob! He has been rendered into a mere useless guy who is constantly picked upon by Velma and Daphne! Once again, what makes them think it’s the right choice to mess with classic characters?
3. Simon Cowell’s Cameo Seems Off
Simon Cowell in Scoob!
What made them think Simon Cowell would be the right guy for the cameo as a celebrity-investor? The way he treats Shaggy and Scooby makes you detest him more. If they wanted someone to fund Mystery Inc. as a startup, any judge from Shark-Tank would have sufficed, but not a judge from a talent show with poor ratings.
4. They Introduced a Superhero as a Significant Character
Blue Falcon (middle) in Scoob!
Blue Falcon and his robo-canine (Dynomutt) may be other characters by Hannah-Barbera but, Scoob isn’t supposed to be a superhero movie with spaceships, period.
5. The Not-So-Powerful Antagonist
Dick Dastardly fails to generate any thrill among the audience.
Dick Dastardly, the antagonist, is another lesser known character by Hanna-Barbera, and he is a Dick (pun intended). His motive: to rescue his own dog who he forced into Alexander’s the Great’s treasure locker via a portal, but unfortunately couldn’t make it back; How he could survive in a locker room for so long is never explained.
6. Scooby’s Ancestral History in the Film Ruins Everything for Classic Lovers
Why can’t Scooby be a normal crime-sloving great-dane instead of being the successor of Alexander the Great’s dog and a key to his locker?
7. Mystery Machine Doesn’t Get the Respect it Deserves
Keep guessing, I’m not gonna explain much here but this is the Not-Mystery-Machine
Mystery Machine is the soul of their gang, and technically their sixth member. For classic lovers, it isn’t a mere van. Not gonna post spoilers for those who want to watch it but let’s just say that it’s the first film of the franchise but Mystery Machine doesn’t get the respect it deserves!
8. The Jokes Just Don’t Work
The Tinder joke: I wish I was joking, but this actually happens in Scoob!
Why is a kids film joking about Tinder? Anyone with a good sense of humor and a sane mind will find it hard to laugh at the jokes while watching the film. Sure, some pop-culture references and jokes are fun, but not laughable.
9. Cameos of Lesser Known Hanna-Barbera Characters (at least globally-less-known)
Captain Caveman as seen in Scoob!
No one would be excited to see Blue Falcon, Dynomutt, Captain Caveman and other guys in film, NO ONE! To be as honest as possible, I didn’t even know these were Hanna-Barbera characters while watching the film. Don’t get me wrong but these guys created multiple popular characters like: Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, The Jetsons and the list goes on; so, why weren’t they in SCOOB? If Tom and Jerry is the next movie by Warner Bros. , why weren’t they the part of the franchise? Although it’s an animated live-action film, they could have created a couple of different dimensions: the first where cartoons stay, and the second where humans stay, making the universe similar to Cool World. It would have been fun to see duo with Mystery Inc. instead of the lesser known folks, especially since the cat-and-mouse pair is known globally! Tom and Jerry was supposed to release this year but has now been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
10. SCOOB Sets Up A Poor Starting Point for The Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe
Characters by Hanna-Barbera
Cool CGI? Check! Cute character designs? Check! A mind-blowing storyline for a popular detective franchise? HOL’ UP, DON’T CHECK THAT BOX! The Mystery Inc. seemed to be the best bet for kickstarting the franchise when it was first announced. Six years of work sadly turns out to be a wasted opportunity. Let’s hope that Tom and Jerry and other films in the universe aren’t ruined like Scoob!
And Now, the GOOD NEWS:
Scoob definitely was a let-down but don’t feel disheartened. We are going to get a darker, live-action adaptation of Scooby-Doo soon! The trailer is already out and it looks great. The series, named Mystery Incorporated is a fan project, that has been approved by Warner Bros. The best part: it looks like a legit high budget production! Have a look at the trailer below:

Mystery Incorporated Trailer
The rant comes to an end here but check out some cool movies that you can watch, in place of Scoob! xP
July 24, 2020
Maska Movie Review: Neeraj Udhwani’s Netflix feature is a delightful yet unevenly seasoned dish!
Prit Kamani & Shirley Setia in a still from Maska.
Rating: 6.7/10
Streaming on: Netflix
Maska Review: Success comes to those who dream! But do confused millennials really know the difference between dreams and delusions? We are often desperate to achieve our unrealistic goals and are ready to impulsively sacrifice our stable source of income. Maska isn’t just about Rumi Irani, the Parsi protagonist who dreams to become an actor, it’s also about his family’s ancestral Irani cafe: the Rustom Cafe, and the stories of the people connected to the iconic place. It’s a tale of how places with their own history and legacy become an emotion and how little things matter more than the grand stuff in our life. The cafe is so lively that it itself becomes a living character in the film.
Cafe Rustom (Credits: Maska/Netflix)
Characters
The Irani family wants Rumi to continue their family legacy as the famous Maskawalas of Mumbai but unfortunately for them, Rumi hatches a clever plan to sell his famous cafe to follow his dream of being a Bollywood superstar, inspired by Boman Irani. The protagonist sees a good character development. Although, the acting could have been more intense.
Javed Jaffery plays the dead father who once ran Cafe Rustom. (Credits: Maska/Netflix)
Persis Mistry, played by Shirley Setia, is one sweet character who will teach you to find your Ikigai and show you the other, light-hearted side of life. Persis is a blogger, who’s constantly in search for stories around her, especially at Rustom. She helps a lot in the protagonist’s character development, more than his mother (played by Manisha Koirala). The only critique is: Shirley, although a fantastic singer, has great potential as an actor and can do much better. And Manisha Koirala and Javed Jaffery play the Irani parents, the comical aspects of the film.
Persis Mistry, played by Shirley Setia, is the highlight of the film. (Credits: Maska/Netflix)
Technical Aspects
Another thing that stood out in the film is the colour-grading and the cinematography. The selected colors add life to every scene related to the history of the cafe. The cinematography is simple yet great and makes the stories of Rustom’s regular visitors quite appealing. Mumbai’s nightlife is shown vividly with proper lighting.
The tangerine shades add life to the place’s history…
Verdict: Maska is a delightful and wholesome watch. The only downside is the poor execution and stretched scenes that don’t add to the storyline. In my humble opinion, the actors are quite potent and can perform much better. If you are into slice-of-life films or a content creator looking for some inspiration, then it’s a must-watch and a relatable film! Ab lagg bhi jaane de, life jeene ka chaska; teri smile ho aisi, jaise bun pe maska! 😉
Will Rumi sell his family’s legacy to pursue his ‘dream’ to become an actor? Find out for yourself! 🙂
Maska is now streaming on Netflix: Watch here!
Also, since it’s the quarantine season, you may want to watch these amazing movies!
March 29, 2020
10 Greatest Movies of This Decade!
So another year goes by with you doing absolutely nothing, and you wonder on your couch, “Is there any other bad news?!”. Okay then, sorry to break it to you but it’s been a decade and you are still a couch potato! 😛 But before we move into another decade, (unless you are reading this from the future; oh hey there, time traveller!) here’s a list of 10 greatest movies from this decade that you shouldn’t miss:
#10 Detective Byomkesh Bakshy
Poster by Ashraf Ghori
Set in 1942’s war-torn Calcutta, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is India’s answer to R-Rated thriller films from Hollywood! Made by Dibakar Bannerjee, the film is a perfectly crafted mystery-thriller based on the characters created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay and is a must-watch if you are into gore and historical detective films.

Get this film: https://amzn.to/35Jvtgr
#9 Alita Battle Angel
A Visual Masterpiece!
Adapted from the Japanese manga: Gunm, Alita Battle Angel story of a teenage cyborg girl, in search for her forgotten memories… After Avatar, James Cameron does it again with this amazing flick and a whooping budget of $170 million! The film is a world-building and a visual masterpiece and I definitely recommend it to those who are into SciFi, Anime and VFX stuff!
If you don’t watch it on a 3D Blu-Ray, you are definitely missing a lot; So grab your copy of Alita Battle Angel here: https://amzn.to/34IsXG5
Alita Battle Angel 2D HD: https://amzn.to/34GmRpB
4K UHD and HD: https://amzn.to/34G2KI8
#8 Tumbbad
Remember all those bedtime stories by your granny? Now imagine a bedtime story, making it to the big screen and being darker that the word ‘dark’ itself: yup, that’s Tumbbad for you. The intriguing part is that the film has been marketed as a horror movie without ghosts and surprisingly it’s the perfect description. With a spine chilling conclusion, the film delivers a powerful message about the word it is entirely based on: GREED!
#7 The Babadook
Okay, I will be totally honest with you guys: most horror movies don’t really scare me! But I swear to God that The Babadook has zero jump scares, yet it’s one of the scariest horror films I’ve ever watched! The Babadook is actually a metaphor for mental health issues and this is what makes me add the film to the list! Seriously go and watch it to learn why ‘the more you stay in denial, the stronger your problems get’?

Get the movie right now: https://amzn.to/2Mc503l
#6 Train to Busan/Busanhaeng
Train to Busan is not another cliche zombie film, instead it’s a roller-coaster of emotions, an edge-of-seat thriller and a Korean flick that won laurels at the Cannes Film Festival! The world definitely has something to learn from these amazing Korean horror flicks!
And by the way, this may seem kinda random but if you like my content, do give me a follow on my Instagram, just click here! 🙂
#5 Bioscopewala
Bioscopewala is a really unique adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s Kabuliwala. It’s actually the continuation of Tagore’s story, with a modern touch and some major changes, but simultaneously retaining the spirit of the original story. The film begins with Mini’s struggle, trying to recollect her childhood memories with the Kabuliwala… Or should I say the Bioscopewala?

Click here to watch Bioscopewala for free, only on Hotstar!
#4 The Founder
Now we all are familiar with a popular story from the self-help industry, the one about Colonel Sanders, aka the guy who knocked thousands of doors because he wanted to sell his mother’s fried chicken recipe… And he would then become the founder of KFC! But, have you ever wondered why you weren’t told the story of Ray Kroc, the controversial founder of McDonald’s? I geddit, you seem kinda worried why Ray’s (the founder) name doesn’t end with ‘McDonald’… Well then, I wouldn’t ruin this film for you but let’s just say that it is kinda a great but a sad story about the dark beginnings of our favourite hamburger chain!
#3 A Silent Voice/ Koe no Katachi
A tale of redemption, and how a bully falls in love with his own victim. Koe no Katachi is about Shouko Nishimiya, a clinically deaf girl who is mercilessly bullied. Years later, one of her bullies regrets his deeds and begins his journey, to meet her and seek forgiveness, only to fall in love!
#2 The Hundred-Foot Journey
An Indian family moves to France and sets up a restaurant opposite a well-established French haute cuisine restaurant, which has earned a Michelin Star. An intense professional rivalry breaks out between the restaurateurs. With a never seen before plot and splendid actors like Om Puri, Helen Mirren and Manish Dayal, this is one of my all-time favourites.

Get the movie here: https://amzn.to/35IqgWq
#1 Your Name/Kimi no Na wa
Did you ever think that an anime film can be ranked #1 on the list of greatest movies of this decade? Well then, think again! There’s definitely a reason why hollywood’s planning a remake (and trying to ruin it )… At first, Makato Shinkai’s Your Name may look like any other teenage romance films but, you will be surprised to see why it stands out among others in the genre! ‘Body-swapping’ is one of those elements, which has probably never been used in a romance film. With an ingenious storytelling and spellbinding artistry, this has to be one of the greatest movies of the decade! <3
Honourable Mention: Parasite (2019)
Parasite deserves a special place on the list!
If you are reading this, then I believe that you must be fortunate enough to have internet access; Now, take a moment to think about those who not only lack internet access but even basic necessities, cause that’s what Parasite is about: the gap between the social hierarchies of the rich and the poor. Parasite begins as an ingenious comedy film, and then mutates into an edge-of-seat thriller! It delivers a powerful message about materialistic greed and comfort, making it worthy of an honorable mention!

Currently, your understanding of the film must be 0, after watching the trailer it’s gonna be -1! LOL!
In conclusion, that’s all for now… Make sure you watch these! And see you next year, in a new decade with some fresh new content! 🙂
Thank you for reading and a very Happy New Year!
December 20, 2019
Spider-Man: Far From Home is a wonderful ode to RDJ’s Tony Stark!
A still from Spider-Man: Far From Home
Verdict: 8/10
First things first, I know I’m super late but meh… I had some personal issues to tackle first. And now, getting back to the point, Spider-Man: Far From Home marks the beginning of a new era in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although the plotline may seem quite obvious to the fans of Marvel comics, the film compensates for it with its amazing, IMAX-worthy visual effects. The fight scenes often get stunningly surreal and may look like they have been taken right from Doctor Strange.
If you have watched FFH, then you know how surreal this gets (Credits: Spider-Man FFH)
From an awkward, irresponsible individual to a mature and slightly responsible kid, Peter Parker gets the right dose of character development. To be the next Tony Stark, he has to keep growing throughout the upcoming phases of MCU.
The credits roll and you see the best mid-credits scene in history!
The film has two post-credits scenes, and the first one is probably the best one in the history of films (yeah, trust me; I bet you are gonna shout and exclaim “What the actual f*ck?!”, cause it totally changes the tone of the ending). We had to deal with a terrible audience, probably the worst of it’s kind for an MCU film, in the theatre, so forgive me if I rant about those a-holes but honestly I still couldn’t get over their constant chattering and camera flashes; And thankfully, they left before any of the post-credits, cause I swear: those f*ckers didn’t deserve to watch it. 😑 (PS: I know what you are thinking, but no, I’m not afraid of profanity but, I need to stay compliant with Google AdSense’s policies! 🙄)
In the end, I would like to say that if you love quality visuals, then don’t miss it in IMAX; although we watched it in Digital 3D format, unfortunately!
So that’s all for now, cause I was working on a bigger and better article but thought I should do another short film review and then order a Far From Home edition Funko Bobblehead to fuel my obsession (jk, I’m broke).
Spider-Man: Far From Home is now available on Blu-ray: CLICK HERE!
And before you leave, here’s an interesting movie suggestion for all ya horror fans!
Thanks for reading! 🙂
July 15, 2019
10 Facts About Tumbbad That Will Blow Your Mind!
Vinayak and Pandurang; Name a better father-son duo in the comments, I will wait…
With it’s emphasis on the topic of greed and a set-up which resembles a dark bed-time story, Tumbbad has to be one of the best Indian horror flicks ever created. Ironically it’s a horror movie devoid of ghosts! So, let’s dwell more into the universe crafted by director- Rohan Anil Barve, and Sohum with these facts. Before we move on let me tell you that the article has been divided into 2 sections: Spolier-Free and Spoiler Zone!
Spoiler Free Zone
1. So here’s a riddle for you… Can you guess what the film, Tumbbad, has in common with Assassin’s Creed & Hitman? I know you aren’t here for riddles but come on, you ain’t that lazy! Any guesses? Alright, they share the same musician! That’s right: Jesper Kyd!

2. See all that rain in the film? Well, it’s real!

3. The movie was dubbed about 4 times, since the original voice records were masked due to the sound of rain. Also, Sohum Shah wanted to replace his North-Indian accent with a Marathi accent.
4. Local-ites in Tumbbad village believe that an ancient treasure is buried underground in one of the prominent areas of the village which was left behind by the ancestors. Thus, the makers of the film decided to shoot on the exact location to maintain the authenticity of the film. (Courtesy: DNA India)
5. The first draft and storyboard for the film were first made in 1996 by Rohan Anil Barve but apparently the draft had to go through some rough phases and development hell; hence the delay!
6. Tumbbad was India’s consideration for 91’s Academy Awards 2019, alongside Raazi, Bioscopewala, Padmaavat & October; but ultimately ‘Village Rockstars’ was selected as the Oscars entry!
A still from Village Rockstars
7. The film was selected to be premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2018, which is indeed a great honour for the Indian film industry!
Before we move ahead, here comes a WARNING:
8. ‘The grandmother’ from Tumbbad was played by the same child who played Vinayak’s son, Pandurang!
9. Animatronics and practical effects were extensively used in the film, especially for the scenes that took place inside the grandmother’s chamber and the Goddess’s womb.
10. Despite the movie’s ending, a sequel has been planned by Shah! As per sources, it will probably be a standalone film based in the same universe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN75MPxgvX8
Thanks for reading, and in case you are interested in reading more about a recent film, here’s another article about Alita Battle Angel! Click here!
And make sure to follow my Instagram page: @utopiancorps
March 30, 2019
5 Reasons to Watch Alita Battle Angel
There’s a brutal, tear-jerking story behind that blood (Image Courtesy: Alita Battle Angel/ 20th Century Fox)
Yukito Kishiro’s creation has finally made it from the black and white pages of the classic manga, to the ultra-realistic environment of the big screen. Here are 5 convincing (spoiler-free) reasons to watch Alita Battle Angel:
#5: Fantastic Worldbuilding
Set in a post-apocalyptic 26th century world, the film vividly shows-off it’s dystopian landscape full of rusted infrastructure in the Iron City and a floating city called Zalem, just above it. The Iron City serves as the residence for the poor and is infested with criminal cyborgs and ruthless folks. Winning the Motorball game is apparently the only way for one to make it to the Zalem. There are numerous other minute details which have been taken care of and can be seen in the film.
So enough with the details, I must say that although the movie may lack a proper narration, it succeeds in worldbuilding, especially because this particular element serves as the set-up for… shhhhh…
I won’t be giving any spoilers!
#4: It breaks the ‘Anime/Manga Live-Action Adaptions Are Crap’-Stereotype!
Alita has to be the only live action adaptation of a manga that I actually loved! And no, this isn’t just my opinion, but go browse the web for reviews by the Otaku community and you won’t believe your eyes! They are absolutely in love with it!
Although people were initially creeped-out due to those photo-realistic anime eyes, the manga distinctly mentions that Alita had unusually big eyes and dude, SHE’S A CYBORG! There’s nothing wrong with those eyes! In fact, they are lively, expressive and serve to make her look larger then life and adorable (or is just me who thinks she’s adorable?)!
Do I need to say anything else about this?
#3: The fast paced action sequences will put any Kung-Fu movie to shame
This blockbuster, had the best action sequences in the history of films and NO, I’m not exaggerating it in any way! Kudos to Rodriguez and his team for the fantastic fight direction!
Alita uses a special form of combat called the Panzer Kunst. As per the Battle Angel Fandom Wiki:
Panzer Kunst is the first fighting style developed to anticipate cyborg combat. Its foundation is fighting in zero gravity, a prerequisite for all space age martial arts, which allows the practitioner to fight in any atmosphere. Panzer Kunst seems to emphasize speed as well as the use of vibration-based attacks to bypass an opponent’s cyborg armour and directly cause damage to limbs or internal organs. The art is also quite effective against larger foes.
#2: Rosa Salazar’s Brilliant Performance & Alita’s Character Development
Imagine wearing a black spandex like costume with multiple markers attached to your body, face, along with some batteries and cameras attached to your head, and the director shouts, “ACTION!”. This is what Rosa had to go through for the entire filming process! In spite of this, she succeeds in bringing the character to life with those expressive eyes (and with the VFX team of course!).
Okay, I’m sorry! Just don’t kill me for obsessing over those eyes! 🙏
*Me when someone says Alita has creepy eyes 👀* (Image Courtesy: ABC10)
Talking about the character development, Alita, being the titular cyborg and getting ample of screen time, shows significant development in the movie.
“Alita Battle Angel is about a girl who is plopped into the world not knowing who she is and she goes on a journey of self discovery and discovers that she’s not an insignificant girl at all. She is someone quite extraordinary!”
-Rosa Salazar
Initially, she is shown to be a playful, joyous, lively and a vulnerable girl, who’s learning and adapting to the new environment after 300 years of sleep. She’s powerful, yet thinks of herself to be an insignificant girl. This changes later, as the plot progresses, making her more confident about herself.
#1: It’s a Cameron Masterpiece
(Image Credits: 20th Century Fox/ YouTube)
Oh come on, this reason alone should be enough to convince you to watch the film (at first, it was the sole reason I wanted to watch it!). After all, he’s known for great films like Avatar and Titanic. Not to mention the technology developed specially for his films since Alita used the same tech used in making Avatar, alongside some new one. The VFX is totally outta this world! And of course, it’s not just James Cameron; Jon Landau produced it too, while it was directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Cameron went crazy after reading the manga and immediately registered the site domain for film about 20 years ago! Yeah, you read that right! 20 YEARS AGO! He delayed completing the script since he was busy with Avatar and hence the time.
So have I convinced you enough to watch Cameron’s baby and the labor of his love? Comment below; Clap and share if you liked it!
You can watch Alita Battle Angel on YouTube, Google Play Movies or Amazon Prime Video!
And if you are a fan of horror flicks, have a look at my other article about Tumbbad, a non-cliche horror film which is art at it’s best: 10 Facts About Tumbbad That Will BLOW YOUR MIND!
Thanks for reading, you are awesome and yeah, GO watch Alita Battle Angel! 🙂
February 17, 2019