Awful and Awesome Ep 341: Anatomy of a Fall, Bhakshak, Bold Care ad

While discussing Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya:

Abbas: Dimple Kapadia, who is Shahid’s aunt in the film, plays the role of a scientist.

Rajyasree: She did the same role in Pathaan too. Who knows, when filmmakers look at Dimple, they think, “This is what a scientist definitely looks like.”

Abbas: Oh, and Shahid Kapoor is also a robotic scientist, by the way.

Rajyasree: (laughs) This is really stretching the suspension of disbelief.

This and a whole lot of awful and awesome as Rajyasree Sen and Abbas Momin discuss the films Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jia, Anatomy of a Fall, Bhakshak, and Ranveer Singh’s viral Bold Care ad.

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Watch it here.

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Timecodes

00:00 - Introductions

01:14 - Headlines

13:07 - Letter #1 

14:30 - Bold Care ad

20:25 - Announcement on NL Sena Modi 2.0 Report Card

21:40 - Bhakshak

34:23 - Letter #2

35:30 - Anatomy of a Fall

References

NL Sena: Modi 2.0 Report Card

Teri Baaton Me Aisa Uljha Jiya

Ranveer and Johnny Sins Bold Care Ad 

Bhakshak

NL Interview: Bhumi Pednekar on Bhakshak and the power of journalism

Anatomy of a Fall

Click here to download the Newslaundry app on Android. And here for iOS.

Produced and recorded by Priyali Dhingra and Shubang Gautam, edited by Samarendra K Dash and Saif Ali Ekram.

Rajyasree: [00:00:00] This is a News Laundry podcast and you're listening to Awful and Awesome.

Hello, hello. This is the Awful and Awesome Entertainment Wrap, Episode 341. This is Rajshri Sen and 

Abbas: And this is the Past Momin. 

Rajyasree: I've made it more exciting now and I'm building it up like that. Ruined it. Ah, this is a boss moment. Exactly. So excited to be here. So we have a lot of long form stuff today because Abhinandan's not here so he can't say one long form, one short form, one medium form, all that nonsense.

So we have an Oscar contender, right? Anatomy of a Fall. Uh, then we have the new Bhoomi Pednekar film Bhakshak and we have another classic. Which is going to get the Palm D'Or, according to me, which is Teri Baaton Mein Aisa [00:01:00] Uljha Jiya. 

Abbas: Yes. TB Moj. That's what 

Rajyasree: the kids are calling it. TB Moj? Oh my God. So TB Moj also we have.

Yes. And we have a fabulous ad. 

Abbas: Alright, here's what happened in the world of entertainment. Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Romcom, Teri Baaton Mein Aisa Uljha Jiya, has grossed over 26 crores during its opening weekend. 

Rajyasree: Is that a good thing? I don't know. But according to Chartmasters, Taylor Swift has become the second most followed Spotify artist surpassing Adijit Singh.

Ed Sheeran maintains top spot. I'm more shocked that Adijit Singh was the second most followed Spotify artist. More than 50 cents and all. Yeah, 

Abbas: yeah, 50 cents is old news now. But now he's slipped to number three. 

Rajyasree: It's very 

Abbas: sad for him. From 2026 onwards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be introducing an Oscar Award for Best [00:02:00] Casting.

Rajyasree: Which you should have. And this is my favorite piece of news because this is my favorite couple. Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez has filed a complaint with the Delhi Police Commissioner against Sukesh Chandrasekhar, alleging that he was harassing her and threatening her from inside jail. She should have thought of all this before taking car and handbag and horse and whatever, no?

You have to choose your lovers wisely. That's what I'm saying. What do you want to discuss first, 

Abbas: Abbas? Since I endured TB modj, I have a lot of things to say about it. We could 

Rajyasree: start with TB modj. I think we should start with TB modj. So TB modj for everyone. Uh, stars Kriti Sanon. I love saying her name, Kriti Sanon and Shahid Kapoor, who's making a film after I think six years or something like that.

And, uh, it's a sci fi romantic comedy. Comedy, 

Abbas: yes. 

Rajyasree: That's what they are marketing it as. And what does that mean? Is it like that film, [00:03:00] uh, what was it? Koi Mil Gaya? No, not Koi Mil Gaya. Oh, no, no. 

Abbas: Koi Mil Gaya 

Rajyasree: was the Jaadu. Jaadu was also a sci fi romantic comedy? It wasn't 

Abbas: romantic, Rajshree. Come on. Wasn't there a romance?

There was no romance happening between Between Rohan 

Rajyasree: and the alien. But wasn't there an actress, some actress was in this film? There was a Spiti Zinta, yes, yes. Ah, so there, see? Some romance, some semblance of romance. Is there even that semblance of romance in this 

Abbas: film? Well, that's a lot of romance. I just want to say, uh, so It's TB Modge, but Modge is definitely not the emotion that I was feeling while watching this film.

Uh, far from it. So, uh, have you seen the trailer of this 

Rajyasree: film? I think I've seen the trailer, but it was so forgettable that I'm not sure, but I've seen the song. Where they do that train step. I've watched the music video of that song and it scarred me. 

Abbas: Sorry, language[00:04:00] 

So the central conceit of this film, and I'm not spoiling this because this is all over the trailer. Yeah. Is that Shahid Kapoor plays this young man who falls in love with a robot. Okay, so Kriti Sanon 

Rajyasree: is a robot. 

Abbas: Is a robot. Yes. 

Rajyasree: Oh. Right. Very. 

Abbas: Right off the bat, I have to say we've had horror comedy, like we've had fantasy comedy, but yeah, science fiction comedy, especially in Hindi cinema is very rare.

Okay. Yeah. So I was, uh, unless like you 

Rajyasree: Mr. India, Mr. India is not sci fi comedy. 

Abbas: Yeah, Mr. India would count as a 

Rajyasree: good sci fi comedy. So is this like, is this going to go down in history like Mr. India? Yes, after 

Abbas: Mr. India. This is the, this is the newest offering. So, um, essentially the film is [00:05:00] set in Delhi and you mentioned Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sen.

There's also Dimple Kapadia and Dharmendra in this film. Are a couple? No, they're not a couple. So Dharmendra plays Shahid Kapoor's dada and Dimple Kapadia is playing his aunt of some sort, who is a, uh, is a robotic 

Rajyasree: scientist in New York. I was going a scientist? Yes. So she's always a scientist. Have you realized in that film with Shah Rukh Khan?

In Pathan, yes. Yeah, she's just, who knew that when filmmakers look at Dimple, they're like, this is what a scientist definitely looks like. 

Abbas: Actually, now that you mention it, I think they didn't even change the wardrobe. She's wearing the same thing in Pathan, 

Rajyasree: the same 

Abbas: glasses. So when the film starts, everything is very, and Shahid Kapoor is also a robotic scientist, by the way.

All right. 

Rajyasree: Oh, this is really stretching.

Abbas: We're shown some scenes that they're developing humanoid robots to help the human race. Like, for example, [00:06:00] if you have to give an injection or give medicine, like Yeah, if you could, but the thing is, those scenes are played for comedic effect. Okay. So you have this one old guy who's, who's, who's used as a lab rat.

And essentially you just show a robot injecting three injection in his bum and he's yelling and he's like, and Shahid is like, we need to make better, better computers, better robots, so on and so forth. Okay. So that's where we start in the film. All right. Then as we move on, uh, Shahid Kapoor goes to America to meet his aunt, which is played by Dimple Kapadia.

And Dimple Kapadia is like, you know what? I have this one, uh, uh, girl in my house who takes care of everything. And I'm going out for a conference for a couple of days. Why don't you like just hang out with her? Okay. And in those three days, romance happens. And Shahid Kapoor is very. Shocked to know that this girl knows everything about him, right down to the T.

So he's like, maybe she's the girl. All right. Yeah. Actually, I want you to, I want you to stick [00:07:00] with me. Okay. Now, obviously when two young people fall, when two young people fall in love. Okay. And are alone in our house. And I alone in a house in a nice palatial house in America, uh, things are bound to get physical, right?

Rajyasree: No, no, not if it's a Hindi film family from these things don't happen. It's a progressive 

Abbas: film. We're dealing with robotics here. Okay, so that's right So now of course you as an audience know that she's a robot because you've seen it in the trailer So you're like, okay now shahid will realize when finally the The metaphorically and literally the clothes will come off.

You're like, okay, this is the, the last scene happens. Okay. In typical Hindi film fashion, they sing a song. The next morning Shahid wakes up and he still hasn't realized she's a robot. Because 

Rajyasree: it might be such a good robot. That's what it is. 

Abbas: And then Dimple Kapadia comes back and she's like, this was a test for you just to see how good my robot is.

I deliberately made you fall in love with this robot. And now Shahid is shocked because the [00:08:00] first time he realizes that she's in, she's a robot. Because when he wakes up the next day, her charging 

Rajyasree: is over. So she's just lying dead. Okay. This is bizarre. 

Abbas: So there's a pun while they are making love, Kriti Sanon character says, Meri battery low hai.

Which Shahid Kapoor infers as, Oh, she wants to go another round. 

Rajyasree: Okay.

Abbas: But next morning she's not breathing. She's not doing anything. She's like, Oh my God, did I kill this person with my 

Rajyasree: Yeah. 

Abbas: But then he finds out this is actually a robot and then he's like, no, I'm, what does it matter if she's a machine? This is the girl of my dreams. So then the second half is him taking a girl into an Indian household.

This Indian family wants everything that they want from a, you know, typical sanskari bahu. So it's a robot. Learning everything that a sanskari bahu has to do now on [00:09:00] paper, that's a actually a really good idea to make a comedy, right? Like, how do you, how do you let a progressive thing or a futuristic thing like a robot settle into a patriarchal Indian setup?

But all the jokes fall flat, nothing goes anywhere. And, uh, the film is shot in such a weird way that if they have to cut to New York, they'll show like the Brooklyn Bridge. Okay. Then they have to come back to Delhi. They'll suddenly show Humayun's Magbara, but they'll cut to a scene inside their house. So I'm like, are they living in Humayun's Magbara?

What 

Rajyasree: is happening? So the directors, we should give credit to the right people. The directors, if you're ever, if anyone wants to work with them, Amit Shah. Who, I don't think I've made anything before. I not make anything after also, but the music nice. But is there anything you would recommend or remember fondly?

Is there anything you'd remember fondly 

Abbas: about this film? I mean, the, the, what's [00:10:00] called CGI, the computer graphics in the early part of the film where they are showing the robots is actually not bad. I thought the robots were quite brilliant. The music is good. 

Rajyasree: Shahid also thought that. Shahid 

Abbas: dances well.

Yeah, Shahid dances well. He started off as Shamukh Dabur's I was 

Rajyasree: going to say. If he's not going to dance well, who's going to dance well? And Kriti? 

Abbas: So Kriti, I mean, I don't want to sound harsh, but she has to play robotics. Like, he has to be a robot in the film, so she pretty much has to be expressionless and, and, and, you know, just go about, yeah.

What 

Rajyasree: was her first film, Tammy? No, I don't remember what was her first film. Because, say, Hero Panti with Ayushman. No, that, Abhinandan and I definitely didn't watch. We watched some film with her. Must be her second film, then. And I just want you to know that while watching it, Abhinandan said, you know, she's going to be a very big hero.

So I said it's better you not repeat this to other people. But that's why I've told everyone who [00:11:00] listens to this podcast. But I did not see this, uh, the diamond in the, in the rough that he was able to spot and Shahid Kapoor and the directors have been able to spot also. But she's also a foot. taller than him, I think.

Abbas: I think, yeah, she's very tall in the film also. I think her, uh, her height and her built is used to, like, for example, if she has to do something, some physical thing, which a robot might do, like pick up some somebody. So yeah, so they use that to her advantage, but the, I mean, I don't want to give the ending away, but it's a very bizarre ending where.

She malfunctions because of her short circuit in Delhi. So I just want to ask you, are you guys not getting enough electricity? No, 

Rajyasree: so there's a voltage problem now. So there must have been a voltage problem because sometimes even my like the AC will stop working when it shouldn't because of the voltage.

So they should have got a stabilizer for her. When we buy ACs and all in Delhi, we have to buy a stabilizer. So [00:12:00] they did not think that she should be walking around with a stabilizer being dragged behind her like that. A five kg stabilizer. No one thinks through these things properly. 

Abbas: I forgot to mention, so she, she's called SIFRA in the film, S I R F R A, and that stands for something.

It's like standard, uh, interleuker type. Inter something, female robotics, associate, 

Rajyasree: she must 

Abbas: be an associate, her name is Sifra and because she short circuits, she then goes evil in the end. That's the last 20 minutes is when the film was like, I wish this was the rest of the movie. 

Rajyasree: And does she kill anyone?

Does she kill Dimple? 

Abbas: You have to watch to find 

Rajyasree: out. Is it a Frankenstein kind of tale? 

Abbas: There is, there is, yeah. There is a very Frankenstein thing that happens at the end. Nobody's killed, but some interesting things happen. 

Rajyasree: Some interesting things. You're not selling this very well at all. And you went and saw this on the big screen.

I did, yes. That's very brave. And it's [00:13:00] also, it shows your commitment to the podcast. So I, I thank you. so much. I thank you totally. Okay, shall I read out an email first? It's from anonymous. Why do people write anonymous? Do they not want us to know that they are being mean? But they weren't being mean to us.

They've been mean to animal. So Anonymous has written, I finally watched Animal with my friends and we couldn't stop laughing. No intoxicants required. More than misogyny or violence. The film's biggest problem is that it is. So ridiculous. The dialogues are absolutely wild. Character motivations and plot points are largely incomprehensible.

Editing was non existent. I even considered that Ranbir's character is meant to look pathetic and unhinged to us, but the guitar riff in the background every time he did something cool did not let me do so. Anil Kapoor looks rightfully bewildered throughout the movie. The only mildly interesting part was the interesting, intense conversation between father [00:14:00] and son at the end but even that quickly devolved into farce with not one but two post credit scenes.

Music was nice and passed with some alpha male. Please tell Sandeep Reddy Vanga that he too is an alpha male with a big packet so we can all be spared future horrors. It was not a good film, to put it mildly. Yeah, I agree. Yeah, it's difficult to say it was a good film. If you have a brain, it's difficult to say this.

So, mm. Speaking of, uh, libidos, as we were. Yes. There's another thing which has popped up on all our screens. If you spend time like I do on social media and all. Yeah. Discussing, even though we never would have thought we would discuss this, there's a product called Bold Care, right? I'd never heard of this before.

I'd never heard of it. I also did not know who Johnny Sins is. I still don't know. Okay. [00:15:00] But Ranveer Singh has been, uh, roped into this, uh, product endorsement and ad. And it's basically for people who haven't seen it, here it is. Why are 

Abbas: you leaving home? What happened? Aren't you happy 

Rajyasree: here? JG, flowers never bloom on their branches.

What do you mean? Kishu! Shut up! Let me speak! Your younger brother's Pappu is a scoundrel.

I think the idea is very good, actually. And even the, the way it's been, uh, shot and everyone's acted, everything is done really well. Also, because Ranveer, according to me, caters to the lowest common denominator. I don't, I haven't understood this thing when people say, Oh, you know, he's so smart. And so I find him very crass and crude and loud.

And also, I think he fits into this Hindi soap [00:16:00] thing very well. And I This is clearly not for like, richy rich people who will be popping Viagra. Yeah. So they will, they must be watching these Hindi soaps and then they can also relate to this ad and then buy bold care. Now who is Johnny Sins is what you have to tell me.

So Johnny 

Abbas: Sins is a male, uh, 

Rajyasree: pornographic performer. That guy is a porn star. That guy. 

Abbas: The bald guy is a porn star. And so he became an internet meme till a couple of years ago, because the way the porn industry works is that the number of male performers are limited as, as compared to the female performers, because I guess the men want more variety in their women than they wanted the men.

So what, how he became a meme was that in all these Porn parody films. Sometimes you would play an engineer. Sometimes you would play a doctor. Sometimes you would play a plumber. So that this meme went around saying, uh, Indian parents want their kids to be this guy and this [00:17:00] guy's 

Rajyasree: every profession in the world.

And he's not an Indian porn star. 

Abbas: No, no, he's an American porn star. Yeah, but they've 

Rajyasree: got an international porn star. That's the thing. Yes. I've totally missed this itself. 

Abbas: When this thing popped up on my feed first, I thought it's a deep fake, uh, video where they've sort of taken the Johnny Sins face and Ranveer Singh's face and sort of made something.

But I was very surprised to know that this was shot with the real Johnny Sins. And yeah, so Johnny Sins then just became like this meme where, uh, it became like the trademark of Male sexuality where people would be like, so and so can join your sins, you know, so that this person is like, Oh, 

Rajyasree: And I like his name, Johnny Sins.

Now it's all making sense. So till now, actually, till I saw it written down, I think I just assumed Johnny Sins is part of the product name, Johnny Sins bolke hai ad, but it's 

Abbas: not. I think he's an active [00:18:00] male performer. So he'd have a larger following than 

Rajyasree: Ranveer Singh, you think? He might. That's a good question.

If he's a Mayor of Pornstar. 

Abbas: Considering Johnny Sins became a meme in the Indian diaspora, that's a good question. But, but do you think it, uh, like, I thought that, like you said, the idea was very good and innovative, but, uh, I just felt like it was a very first draft kind of a thing where they just came up with this idea.

I was like, let's shoot this because, uh, technically speaking, Ranveer is not required in that ad, but I guess because he has to say so many Hindi lines. Which might have been difficult for an American to say they had to, like, put him in. And then, of course, in the end, he breaks the fourth wall and tells people that erectile dysfunction is not a big issue and so on and so forth.

So 

Rajyasree: I just felt, yeah, I felt it was lots of fun. Till suddenly that explanation happened. So it's like you're suddenly there's a bit of a break [00:19:00] in what they wanted to convey. But I think if they kept it without him explaining things, no one would know what this ad was all about. Yeah, but they should have made that explanation funny also then.

That's true. Unless they feel people would feel bad. I think they 

Abbas: just had Johnny Sins for like three hours in the day and they were like, you gotta shoot this thing. 

Rajyasree: I'm very impressed. I can't even Google Johnny Sins now because then it will be on my Google search history and God knows what will keep popping up when I'm on YouTube and all.

Yeah, please don't. Yeah, so now I can't Google this. Yeah, I'm taking your word for it totally, but I thought it's an interesting ad for sure. Yeah. So that way it's good. But, uh, and Ranveer Singh for once I felt fit in. Like, I feel he'll be very good in luxe cozy underwear. Those ads. I don't think he should do classy things.

But 

Abbas: don't you think Ranveer has this image where he's like, Oh, he's, he's actually posh, but he's just doing this to reach the masses. Like [00:20:00] that's the perception that's apparently 

Rajyasree: out there. Do you get that feeling? I don't. I feel he's just loud and boisterous. I don't think he's as crass as he makes himself out to be.

Right, right. But I don't think he's particularly polished. Classy. Yeah, like I feel if he comes to your party, he'll behave so obnoxiously that you won't invite him back after that. But we have an announcement to make before we say something else. The new NLCNA project is out. Modi 2. 0 report card. The BJP, as we know, is about to complete 10 years in power with the upcoming general elections.

Modi will be asking for a third term on the back of BJP's popular welfare schemes. But To know what the data says on the implementation of these schemes, our new NLCNR project will be a full on deep dive into these schemes. Uh, the aim will be to give readers the most definitive [00:21:00] report on how the welfare system has performed in these years, in this decade.

And a report like this requires a lot of time and effort. So, please consider supporting, uh This project especially. All you have to do is log on to NLC now on newslaundry. com and select an amount of your choice. It can be any amount. Of course, be generous if you can be and help make this report possible.

So support free news. But, uh, do you want to discuss BHA first or, 

Abbas: yeah, let's do BHA because, um, I, uh, I'm actually interested in knowing what you thought of 

Rajyasree: bha. Okay. So, uh, we have a very good interview of, uh, Boomi by Basant, uh, reporter. Mm-Hmm. , uh, on this film and on what this film comments on. Mm-Hmm.

which, uh, you should watch the link, uh, will be below. But, uh. The film [00:22:00] essentially is about Bhoomi Padnekar plays a, um, a journalist. She is in a small town called, they've changed the name, right? Munawar. Munawarpur, yeah. Munawarpur. And she is, she runs a small, she has a video news bulletin that goes out, right?

Yes. Every 

Abbas: day. Small, uh, almost independently run news 

Rajyasree: channel and a makeshift kind of makeshift. They have an office, but the office is tiny and there's an India map behind her and she's at her desk and she's very like, it's a very, uh, and it's a proper news bulletin that she does. It's got nothing to do with entertainment or anything, uh, which can be remotely considered fluffy or sensational and so on.

And she does this with the, oh, cameraman. Bhaskar Sinha, who is played by Tanja Mishra. Yes. And they have a very nice relationship. [00:23:00] Like they have this, uh, they are clearly very fond of each other also, but it's almost, he can be paternal sometimes, but they get irritated. She sometimes thinks he's slacking off all that, but it's a nice, you can make out that that's the way they basically deal with each other.

Abbas: I like that. Sometimes she's bossy towards him, even though he's clearly the senior. 

Rajyasree: And what is, so she is also married to someone who works in the, he works in the post office. He works in the post office. We've seen this guy, this actor before. And, uh, he is, uh, he's a very supportive, nice husband. They don't have children.

They stay in a. Nice middle class. Uh, what were we considered a middle class home in this, uh, ur, which is very clearly ur correct. And this is very clearly based on the Ur uh, girl shelter home case, which had happened and had come to light after [00:24:00] taste had in. put out this report which, uh, on how there was sexual abuse happening in this, uh, shelter.

And this report was totally ignored. And then, slowly, the media started talking about it and the girls were, uh, rescued from that home and, uh, And it was very big news at that time, uh, what had happened, but they've changed all the names, but not too much. So there's Munawarpur, Tiss's, Nis, that kind of thing.

Anyway, it's quite a bleak film. There's no let up. The only sweet or parts where it slightly lets up is when she's interacting with Bhaskar [00:25:00] Sinha, her colleague, some funny moments then, then they have an informer who's the one who gives them the news. Some of the interactions with him are quite, uh, like hearted.

But otherwise, it is basically very depressing. It's also the way they show that girls shelter home is very well done, I felt. That, you know, you go through, you feel like it feels like such an ominous It's claustrophobic, like nothing good is happening over there you can make out. So I felt the way that part is shot every time they show you walking, anyone walking through that home, going up those stairs, coming down those narrow corridors and so on.

That was nicely done. So basically the film explores this nexus between, uh, MLA is, uh, then the, what is that woman? She is the head of, not head of CW, the female minister, who the chief minister calls. She's the, 

Abbas: she's the, she's [00:26:00] the minister's wife. I think who's been given like the, uh, like the owners of running the, uh, running the children welfare 

Rajyasree: department.

Yeah. So there's this, so you get this whole thing of this nexus between also the refusal of the cops to file FIRs, like how you come up. against a brick wall, if you're even trying to find out what is happening and how people, including the police, are so totally beholden to MLAs, MPs, whoever it is who is in power.

So what also happened is that The people who were supposed to be looking after these girls are the very people who were abusing them. And so I felt even those scenes of the abuse and all were done as sensitively as it's possible without, like, you can't do it less graphically, I feel, because you won't get the horror of what's happening.

Did you not think so? So 

Abbas: that's what, that's what I had a question about. 

Rajyasree: Other than the dance party. [00:27:00] I felt that was a little over the top. I really don't think anyone is dancing like that. First of all, maybe they are, but I felt that was a little like, you know, it was a little, some parts of it were very in your face.

We get that a person is evil. They might still have a redeeming feature. You know, that thing is a Hindi film. I think it's a problem with Hindi cinema that if there's an evil character, there is no redeeming feature in the evil character. If there's a, so all these, these three men know 

Abbas: that I also felt that the, that the good characters were these upright moral citizens and the bad ones were like, really like the spawn of hell.

Yeah. So. I mean, you can't tell me that there are people covering this up who probably were somewhere gray in the, in, in the thing where they got sort of caught into this without really wanting to. There's again, she plays a victim, but there's one character, a girl who plays a cook, um, who comes to, yeah.

So now who comes to cook for these children and then she then [00:28:00] finds out that, Oh my God, this is actually something much darker happening here. But my, I actually had a. Opinion or question about the, the scenes of abuse, like you said, so. Um, the film starts off with like a very harrowing scene 

Rajyasree: where 

Abbas: the girl is literally killed right in the first scene.

So I get that. I mean, you, you're trying to maybe set up the stakes of what we're dealing with here. And then you follow the Bhumi Pednekar character as a, as a journalist, where she's trying to uncover the story and break it. Yeah. What I thought where the film sort of lost me was there is this one track where Bhumi is trying to break the story and.

If, if us as an audience had got those reveals as she was learning them, then maybe the shock value for the audience would, would build up over the story, right? The thing is you've given us such a shocking thing right up front that then the abuse scenes that follow, then I'm like, what's the objective or what the audience only has to feel like, how much worse can it get for them?

Then the [00:29:00] audience almost gets desensitized, right? Click, click, click. Okay. That's it. Yeah. That way. Uh, so it was like those. Also, those things were very reminiscent of like a crime patrol or Saavdhan India kind of thing where the heinousness of the crime is hammered so hard onto the audience's brain that they almost scare you into submission that you can't say it's bad because it's scaring you, which means psychologically, okay, I empathize with the victims and at the same time that it would cut back to this, uh, this story of Bhumi trying to break the story.

And then in the end, Bhumi Pednekar has this. Uh, large monologue where she breaks the fourth wall and she's like, you guys should you, the audience has to decide the journalism that you, that you choose that by itself, I think is a good message, but I, I didn't find that this, this film earns that. 

Rajyasree: Yeah, yeah.

So I felt it was, uh, so there are two of the abuse scenes, which I felt were unnecessary. One is where he belts those children. Correct. I also felt the same way. I was like, dude, [00:30:00] there's no need for this scene at all. Like, we don't have to see it, na? You can, the sound of the belting would have been enough.

Exactly. Yes. And the other is that party. I just found that party scene just like it. It is. If you tell someone it's like Madhur Bhandarkar when he did that, uh, page three, it was very, it reminded me of Madhur Bhandarkar's that scene. Yes. And the other thing is these men. Who are shown as the perpetrators of the crime because they're just evil from the beginning and right in the, as you said, in the first five minutes, you see one of the main people, right?

So there's no, like, there's no revelation. Then you already know, okay, this is one. guy. Then when you see him talking to the other guys, you're like, okay, so this is a gang of people doing it. So they, I think went a little, like it was going on the right track and they got a little overboard with like, let's show a little more, the party should be like really viral, that kind of thing.

So [00:31:00] that part didn't work for me. And I felt it was a little too. Pat, you know, the solutions, the, the cop was, of course, there are cops like that, the new SSP who comes and she's very, so she explained, I also felt too much was explained, you know, of how the system 

Abbas: works. Yeah, that show don't tell kind of a thing, which wasn't followed.

You're telling 

Rajyasree: us things literally. You're telling us that, see, if you're, it depends on who the investigating person is or who my senior is. Otherwise, my hands are tied. Correct. That, there was a little too much explanation happening. And, uh, I know I shouldn't say this as a woman, but I find it very difficult sometimes.

And I think Bhoomi Phetnegar does very good films, actually. I watched that Afwa, which I really liked also. I don't know why their lips all look like they've been stung by bees, but it's very difficult for me to take anyone, including Shefali [00:32:00] Shah. Is she Shah now? I got screamed at because I said the wrong surname.

Shefali Shah. Now this one. Like, just let it be, you know. Like, the rest of us have normal lips, it's fine. The world is like that. So it becomes a little difficult suddenly. You're like, dude, why are, why are their faces looking like this suddenly? But I felt the husband wife relationship was a nice relationship.

That was sure. There's this one 

Abbas: thing that stuck out to me is why did, why, how does the husband has a, have a change of heart in the middle of the film? Like you see him opposing what she's doing and then suddenly he's like, okay, I'm on your 

Rajyasree: side. Also, I thought he'd file the PIL. So did I, yes. I think even he thought, even the actor thought he had.

And he was told, you're not the person. Because I was like, how sweet, he's filed the PIL. Then there was a, that was the only twist which surprised me actually. And I go, where did this happen? But the casting as such, I will say is very good. Everyone looked their part. Yeah. And that whole [00:33:00] conversation about why do you not have children and what is the point of all those things were good.

But I think it's a well, it's a well yeah, it could have been more than it was. 

Abbas: That's fine. Considering the times we live in, I think anything that sort of questions authority and authorities and, uh, you know, people in power I think is, is a welcome is welcome on the screens. But, uh, yeah, I, I agree it's watchable, but it could have been better.

Rajyasree: Also, Patna looks so nice. Those scenes. It does, yes. Listen, I've been to Patna, it doesn't matter if it's dark, it's not dark, it's not looking this dark. The fog and the water is still and the moon is shining. Wow, this is, they found that one spot in that 100 meters in Patna which looks like this. So, the Patna government.

Uh, Nitish, what is his name? Nitish Yadav now is there? Nitish Kumar. Nitish Kumar. Nitish Yadav. What am I saying? Nitish Kumar should thank 

Abbas: them. You merged Lalu Yadav and [00:34:00] Nitish 

Rajyasree: Kumar. In my mind, they are one person only. No, so I just feel it could have been more than it is. But it's worth a watch. I would tell people, please watch it because I think the majority of people don't know what actually happens in India.

True. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it's definitely worth a watch. So I'm going to read out one more email which is, uh, very critical of Uh, so how can I not read it out? Uh, who has written? Arunima has written this. Hello RNA. I hope my email is read out because I have a sneaky feeling my subject line is not in the right format.

I only have one question to ask. How much longer before you all collectively stop reviewing Animal As of this morning with Rajesh's review, it touched five times if I'm not wrong. that I can't do anything about. I was impressed when I heard Nainika say during the first review that this movie does not deserve all this discussion and that Vanga wants exactly this, that [00:35:00] we all talk about it.

I agreed but then was Agastya Yorra reviewing it twice herself. Twice she did it. Rajshri and your review so far has been the best and the most relatable but Please let's move on from a movie that did not deserve so many reviews in the first place. Thank you. That's why we got to theory. What is it? The theory?

Abbas: But 

Rajyasree: the film, which I did enjoy a lot, but I had to take a break while watching it is, uh, anatomy of a fall, which is the new film, which has won the Palm Dior at the 76th Cannes Film Festival this year. It's a French courtroom drama, and it is, uh, It stars, this is very important, it stars Sandra Hewler as the protagonist, she's a writer, she's a published author, a very, like, an author who's doing well and is well acclaimed author, I [00:36:00] don't know whether they talk about, they don't really say whether she's a popular author or not, but the film has been written by, um, The director, who is Justine Threat, a lady, a woman, and, uh, Arthur Harari.

Arthur Harari also happens to be, uh, Sandra Hewler's husband. Oh, okay. So, I want a husband like this who will write this role for me because it is a spectacular role. When I read that, I was like, this is love. So, I got really hit by that. part that he has written this. And, uh, it stars Swann Arlo. Milo Mashado Granner plays the young boy who is spectacular.

Absolutely. He plays a, in the film he plays a boy who looks like he's 10 or 11 actually. Yeah. But he's 15 years old. So he's like me, I also look like I was 10 or 11 when I was 15 or 12. And then there's [00:37:00] Antoine, uh, Reynards, who, oh, he's the advocate general. Her husband is played by Samuel Theers, play Samuel.

He said, please don't give me another name. because I can't respond. My acting is not that great. But, uh, the story 

Abbas: is also, it also features a wonderful dog 

Rajyasree: who went for the award ceremony. Did you see the pictures? He's so cute. I honestly think he deserves an award because he's acted. He has done like it's not just the dog walking in and out.

Abbas: I need you 

Rajyasree: to be precise.

So the storyline for people is, so this is playing in theaters and you should go and watch it. Uh. They live this family, which is Sandra Hewler, even Sandra [00:38:00] Hewler's name in the film is Sandra. They've just kept their names. Only that young boy has been given a different name. So Sandra and her husband, he is a, he wants to be an author.

He is not a published author. She is a published author. They have a son who is this young boy who is partially blind because of an accident Please. When he was four or so. Right. And he's very young. And, uh, they also live with Snoop, this dog, who is a service dog. And 

Abbas: did you, did you get the joke that the husband is clearly a hip hop, hip hop fan?

Because he's listening to a 50 cent song in the movie. Yes. And the dog is called Snoop. So he's literally 

Rajyasree: Snoop Dogg. That's why he's called Snoop Dogg. So, so Snoop is there and they are staying in this remote, which a lot of people do abroad. And I find it fascinating why people would choose, because I just feel it's unsafe for no other reason.

Same 

Abbas: thing. Yeah, I was like, once the sun goes down, I'm [00:39:00] not feeling the inspiration. 

Rajyasree: No, and if I break. my leg. It will take two hours before someone comes to. We are from India. So I think if the electricity goes and all, maybe electricity doesn't go over there, but still they stay in this remote chalet.

You can't really call it a chalet. It's a nice wooden house. It's in two levels, but it's really remote and in the snow covered part of France. And um, what happens is that she is, so this is in the trailer. She is talking to someone who's going to interview her, a literature student, a young woman, and her husband, uh, starts playing music really loudly.

And then this. Young woman leaves and the son leaves with the dog for a long walk. And when he comes back, he finds his father dead, clearly has fallen from the loft where he was working. And but the thing is, is it clearly a fall? [00:40:00] Or was he pushed? Or was he pushed? Because and then what happens is that it is investigated.

So the mother comes running out, all that. And it's a courtroom drama. Yes. Which is because she's being investigated for murder now. And it has to be proven that she's not murdered him. But there are many things that come out about their relationship, about. The marriage. About what she claims happened and what actually happened.

Little bits of information that were left out would seem a little odd. And the child plays a Very big role. Yeah. Yes. So I thought it's in French. So parts of it are in English. What I saw, they were speaking in English in parts and then the rest is subtitles because they keep saying that, that, or speaking French.

She said my husband used to keep saying that. Yeah, because 

Abbas: Sandra, the character in the film is German, but she married a Frenchman. And so the language of communication [00:41:00] there is primarily English because that's like a middle point for both 

Rajyasree: of them. Yeah. Yeah, so I thought it was also again, one of those films, which is a little relentless, it just doesn't, there's not a moment where you like, even the child is not seeming happy when you're seeing the child, even Snoop is not seeming happy.

It's nobody's happy at all. And it's not clear. Whether, you really don't know whether it's a fall or a murder. Even till the end. So do 

Abbas: you know this? Uh, uh, Justin Triet, the director, did not tell Sandra Ohla whether the character was guilty or innocent. So, uh, even on set, she, she interpreted it the way, uh, she thought the character would, because even she didn't know whether in the script, there is no clear answer of whether the character is guilty or innocent.

Rajyasree: Did you think the, she 

Abbas: was, 

Rajyasree: I think we can, lots of [00:42:00] reviews have come out now. Okay. If you don't want to know, skip the next five minutes and then come back. So it's still interesting. 

Abbas: My theory is that, um, the husband did fall by accident. Okay. From the, from the, from the top. But the clenching testimony of the son where he makes up this story where, uh, they're trying to, he says that in the car.

Huh? The, the father was, uh, depressed and hand suicidal and that's why he took his own life. So the clinching testimony is this one anecdote that the son says that he was in the car with me once and we were driving and he was talking about, you know how your dog will one day die. I think that. Story is made up by the son to save his mother because they do this very clever thing, which the way I interpreted it is that they show the scene with the sons with the father saying the words, but the voice you can hear is of the son as if he's saying telling the story in court.

So this, this little trick that they use that the voice [00:43:00] coming out of the father's mouth is the son. I think it's the son cooked up this story just so that because he knew if I, if I say that my father was Depressive. 

Rajyasree: Yeah. That's, then it hits home. That's the one, yeah. Yeah. Then he would've taken, but then I think it's, he tries to, but he loves Snoop so much.

Would he have tried that stunt with Snoop? But that's the, or to prove it to that, that Marge, 

Abbas: that's the thing. So, I mean, um, but, but as he loved the dog more than his mother, I don't think so. 

Rajyasree: I think he loves the Varkhana. What kind of a child is this? 

Abbas: It's an evil child. 

Rajyasree: So then my dog will win only. This is not boding well for my family for sure.

You don't think he loved the dog more? He was so sad when the dog almost popped 

Abbas: it. No, I think he makes a choice there. Because, uh, so I've seen the film twice, actually. I saw it once at the Mumbai Film Festival. Oh, maybe I should watch it again. And then I saw it again. So the second time around, I was actually looking at, there's this very conscious choices made of.

Cutting back to the son listening to the proceedings because his [00:44:00] eyesight is weak. Yeah. Yeah. So you can see this. He's certainly having some effect on him where he really wants his well wants to save his mother. So I think that's how 

Rajyasree: I interpreted it. So I, I, I feel he liked the dog. I think she killed him.

I think it's not clear and I feel I would have killed him if he was being so whiny like really don't and don't play that music you know I would have killed him just for playing that music loudly if he was loving otherwise but when I'm talking to someone like are you mad that you're going to play 50 cents that too and what was the song was misogynist or something B.

I. F. B. the song is called B. I. F. B. That's what not I would have definitely gone up, one hit him, then pushed him and said, fuck it, absolutely. So I feel it's a little, they leave it open that you don't know. They leave it open. Yeah. Yeah. Because I feel when she's crying, it's sometimes out of relief that, dude, I'm not going to fucking jail now.

And I don't have to [00:45:00] live with him anymore, also. And my son stood up for me. There are lots of things for her to cry out of happiness. 

Abbas: You're making me want to watch it a third time. I'm 

Rajyasree: telling you. But I did, after a long time, it was a courtroom drama, which I really enjoyed because you do keep Guessing what is, like, they keep you on edge totally.

And for a French film, right? I absolutely love 

Abbas: the guy who plays the public prosecutor, the bald guy, who is relentless about his 

Rajyasree: arguments. He's really, I think I would have killed him also after I got out. I would have killed him after that. And how he starts reading from that book. Do kiss and says that, and I like what her, uh, uh, this thing, the defense guy says, Stephen King is not a murderer.

Yeah. So, so I, there are parts of it, which are also the lawyer's relationship with her. Like what is his motivation for supporting I believing her? Yeah. Love makes to do all sorts of things right. 

Abbas: So I also read somewhere that there was apparently [00:46:00] a sex scene shot between the lawyer and Sandra, but then they cut it out 

Rajyasree: because then she's guilty.

Everyone will say, I thought what I've said now only I know I'd say it. Snoop would have gone and bitten her or something. I felt Snoop going and lying with her at the end was the only thing that made me feel that. Maybe she's not guilty because dogs see the child's motivation. I get now. My father's dead.

Now, my mother will also go and snoop. And I will go when there is some shelter home somewhere or something or some foster home might as well save her. So it's nice because you keep thinking about thinking. What it's not a tight and so it's I would strongly recommend if you can go and watch it. So it's been nominated for the best film right at the Academy Award nomination for best picture.

And I'm hoping Snoop is there at the Oscars. Because he was allowed at Palm Dior, you know, he should be allowed [00:47:00] here also. 

Abbas: He also won the, at the Cannes Film Festival, they gave an award called the Palm Dog, which is for, uh, for the, for animal performers, which he won, 

Rajyasree: uh, last year. With good reason. I think he should.

And I thought that young boy is fabulous. He was also phenomenal. Because if you can't emote with your eyes, it's very difficult. So I think that the ability to be able to emote without using your eyes. It's very like, it's really skilled and especially for a child to do that, but, uh, I would strongly recommend this to everyone.

Yeah, so would I. No, more than, uh, Theribato. Theribato. TV Mods. TV Mods. And, uh, we'll be back next week, though. We don't have anything more to discuss. This week. Next week. Oh, no. Week after I will do that Indrani film because I can't believe Netflix has made that. But anything's possible nowadays. But till such time, thank you, Abbas.

Thank you, [00:48:00] Rachi. And it's a wrap.

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