Tag Archives: Junglee

Best Bollywood Movies of 2019

6 Replies
Advertisements

It’s time for my annual roundup of the year’s best Hindi films. I need to start with a caveat, in anticipation of any comments asking why certain movies didn’t make my list. Both my mother-in-law and father-in-law died in 2019, and I missed seeing a bunch of movies, especially those released in the first half of the year. I’m particularly disappointed to have missed Sonchiriya, since I’ve read many good things about it. It only ran in North American theaters for two weeks in March before heading to the streaming service Zee5 — which isn’t available in the United States. It’s not available for digital purchase or on DVD here either, so there’s no legal way for me to catch up on it. I’m sure there are other 2019 releases that I would have enjoyed that I also missed out on.

That said, 2019 was a fantastic year for action movie buffs like me, so let’s get to it!

What better place to start than with my favorite martial artist Vidyut Jammwal’s family-friendly eco-thriller Junglee. This is a rare Hindi film directed by an American: Chuck Russell, best known for the Jim Carrey hit, The Mask. While most Indian productions lean heavily on computer-generated effects to create animals on-screen, Russell had Jammwal and the rest of the cast interact with live elephants. It adds an element of awe that reinforces the story’s messages of conservation and respect for nature. And Jammwal’s excellent stunts are always a ton of fun.

India’s submission to the 92nd Academy Awards — Gully Boy — certainly deserved the honor, even if it failed to make the shortlist for the Oscars (not that any film can beat Parasite). Director Zoya Akhtar’s story of a young Muslim man voicing his generation’s frustrations through the medium of rap is timely and relevant, but also a great example of character creation and world-building.

Another of the action flicks on this year’s list is the thrill ride War. With world-class stunts and fight choreography — and a totally unexpected romantic undercurrent between characters played by Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff — War is a Bollywood action flick you could easily share with your non-Bollywood watching friends.

Speaking of Bollywood films for non-Bollywood watchers, the best of the year in that regard was the thriller Article 15. I recommended it to several acquaintances outside my Hindi-film circle, and all of them went to the theater to see it and really enjoyed it. Some readers have asked me if Bollywood movies can ever find crossover success in America, and to that end, Article 15 shows the value of having an English title and a plot that’s easy to describe. Oh, and it has to be a darned good movie as well, which Article 15 definitely is.

Given the theme of this year’s list, it’s no surprise that my favorite Hindi movie of 2019 is yet another action film, albeit an unconventional one. Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (“The Man Who Feels No Pain“) — which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2018 but didn’t play in Indian theaters until March, 2019, followed by a May Netflix release in the United States — features a hero raised on a diet of old martial arts movies who doesn’t have an ounce of cynicism. He believes that the good guys really can beat the bad guys. It’s a fun, goofy movie with a ton of heart, lots of flying kicks, and wonderful performances by newcomer Abhimanyu Dassani, Pataakha‘s Radhika Madan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Jimit Trivedi, and Gulshan Devaiah in my favorite double role of all time. Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota makes me incredibly happy.

Kathy’s Best Bollywood Movies of 2019

  1. Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota — Buy/rent at Amazon or iTunes/stream on Netflix
  2. Article 15 — Stream on Netflix
  3. War — Buy at Amazon/stream on Prime
  4. Gully Boy — Stream on Prime
  5. Junglee — Buy at Amazon/stream on Hotstar

Previous Best Movies Lists

[Disclaimer: my Amazon and iTunes links include an affiliate tag, and I may earn a commission on purchases made via those links. Thanks for helping to support this website!]

The Trouble with Waiting for Streaming

6 Replies
Advertisements

One of life’s most complicated contemporary problems: should I watch this movie in the theater, or should I wait for streaming? It’s a question we ask ourselves every Friday while browsing Fandango. There are special complications for Bollywood fans (and Indian film fans more generally) in the United States. Hindi films play in fewer theaters and for a shorter period of time than big Hollywood releases, adding a sense of urgency. Yet the proliferation of streaming services that host Indian content has led many of us to assume — myself included — that we can always catch any movies we miss when they come out on streaming.

The India-based website Bollywood Buff keeps track of Hindi releases on four major streaming services: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar, and Zee5. A scan through Bollywood Buff’s invaluable digital rights list gives an idea of what’s coming to each service in the next few months (click the above link for exact release dates, where available):

  • Netflix: Game Over, Article 15, Kabir Singh, Saaho
  • Amazon Prime: SotY 2, Arjun Patiala, Khandaani Shafakhana, Balta House, Section 375, War
  • Hotstar: Super 30, Mission Mangal, Chhichhore
  • Zee5: Malaal, Judgementall Hai Kya, Jabariya Jodi, Dream Girl

Defaulting to the “I’ll wait for streaming” option can be dangerous because it assumes you have all four streaming services. One problem: Zee5 isn’t available in the US, due to a non-compete clause with Dish Network. If, like me, you missed Judgementall Hai Kya in the theater, well… tough tacos — unless I want to eventually buy it on DVD (or request that my public library do so).

Then there’s the question of just how much consumers are willing to spend to have access to content on multiple streaming services. My monthly costs for Netflix and Prime are already nearly $30, and Hotstar would add another $10. Add to that other services like Hulu or CBS All Access that don’t carry Indian content — or any of the forthcoming services like Disney+, HBO Max, and Apple TV+ — and costs can quickly spiral out of control. Having access to more content doesn’t increase the amount of time I have available to watch it.

Going forward, I’m going to mention which service owns the digital rights to new releases in my Weekly Theater Updates whenever possible. Those posts focus on Chicago area theaters, but the streaming video information should be helpful to readers across the US (and often Canada as well). As I’ve become more selective about what movies I see in the theater, I’m going to judge each film on a case by case basis. Truth is, if it’s a movie I really, really want to see, I’ll probably find a way to watch it in the theater rather than risk missing out. [Case in point: Junglee.]

Streaming Video News: May 31, 2019

3 Replies
Advertisements

I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with the premiere of the Hindi film Chopsticks, starring Karwaan‘s Mithila Parkar as a woman who enlists the help of a conman (Abhay Deol) to find her stolen car. Yesterday, Netflix added the March Hindi release Mere Pyare Prime Minister to its streaming catalog.

Three Indian titles expire tomorrow from the Netflix catalog: Delhi in a Day, Firaaq, and Makkhi.

I also updated my list of Bollywood movies on Amazon Prime with dozens of Indian films added in the last week. Most notable among them is the 2019 Hindi romance Notebook, produced by Salman Khan Films. Other 2019 films added in the last week include:

For everything else new on Amazon Prime and Netflix — Bollywood or not — check Instant Watcher.

Junglee is now on Hotstar. I really enjoyed this family-friendly martial arts flick. It disappeared from theaters quickly this spring, so now’s a great time to catch up with it on streaming.

Movie Review: Junglee (2019)

4 Replies
Advertisements

3 Stars (out of 4)

Buy the DVD at Amazon

Junglee is exactly the movie it’s supposed to be: a fun action flick with a clear environmental message, great practical effects, and elephants. Lots of elephants.

Bollywood’s premier martial artist Vidyut Jammwal stars as Raj, a veterinarian who grew up on an elephant sanctuary run by his parents. As a young man, Raj ran away to the city, blaming his father for his mother’s death from cancer. Only on the tenth anniversary of his mother’s death does Raj finally return to the sanctuary.

Things have changed since Raj left. The remote jungle region is struggling economically, according to Raj’s friend Dev (Akshay Oberoi), who now works as a forest ranger. Raj’s childhood pal Shankara (Pooja Sawant) is one of the sanctuary’s few remaining mahouts, or elephant caretakers. She’s also grown up to be stunningly beautiful. The only thing that hasn’t changed is Raj’s frosty relationship with his father, Baba (Thalaivasal Vijay).

Too many Bollywood male leads are written as incapable of making mistakes, but Raj is different. He accepts Dev’s admonishment when his friend says that Raj is in no position to criticize the state of the sanctuary after abandoning it. Raj also comes to realize that he was too young to understand his parents’ choices during his mother’s cancer battle, and that realization starts to heal the rift with his father. Raj is willing to admit that he’s wrong and learn from his mistakes.

Economic troubles aren’t the sanctuary’s only problem. Ivory poachers use camera drones to spot Bhola, a bull with impressive tusks. Led by the hunter Keshav (Atul Kulkarni, who has a touch of Quint from Jaws in his performance), the poachers launch a nighttime raid, with elephants and humans among the casualties.

Raj sets out to find the culprits, aided by Shankara, Dev, and Meera (Asha Bhat) — a plucky reporter from the city visiting the sanctuary to interview Baba. This chase sets the stage for some of Jammwal’s signature stunt-work, which is as thrilling to watch as always. Raj fights with whatever items he has on hand, turning a ladder or a table and chairs into weapons with high novelty value. Shankara and Meera add comic relief, in the form of a love triangle which Raj doesn’t seem keen to participate in.

The highlight of Junglee is unquestionably its elephants, real-life residents at a conservation center in Thailand where much of the film was shot. Director Chuck Russell spoke with Scroll.in (interview linked below) about the numerous precautions the crew took to ensure the safety and comfort of the elephants while still shooting as many scenes with them as possible. The resulting footage is impressive — a refreshing throwback to the days before computer-generated imagery became the default cost-cutting option for film producers. It’s very cool to watch the cast interact with the elephants, and it makes the whole film a treat for the kid in all of us.

Links

Bollywood Box Office: March 29-31, 2019

Leave a reply
Advertisements

Brief North American Bollywood box office update for the weekend of March 29-31, 2019. Here’s why the weekend’s two new releases — Junglee and Notebook — won’t get a second week in many theaters:

  • Junglee: $45,221 from 79 theaters; $572 average
  • Notebook: $18,877 from 39 theaters; $484 average

My friend who works at my local theater said that, over the weekend, the staff had to tell quite a few disappointed customers that, no, they weren’t running a special engagement of the Ryan Gosling film The Notebook.

Other Bollywood movies still in North American theaters:

  • Kesari: Week 2; $323,533 from 154 theaters; $2,101 average; $1,600,643 total
  • Badla: Week 4; $75,736 from 58 theaters; $1,306 average; $1,861,000 total
  • Gully Boy: Week 7; $9,587 from 12 theaters; $799 average; $5,407,188 total
  • Luka Chuppi: Week 5; $2,802 from seven theaters; $400 average; $1,014,967 total

Sources: Bollywood Hungama and Box Office Mojo

Opening March 29: Junglee and Notebook

1 Reply
Advertisements

Two new Hindi films hit Chicago area theaters on March 29, 2019. Martial artist Vidyut Jammwal plays a veterinarian fighting elephant poachers in the action movie Junglee, directed by American filmmaker Chuck Russell, who previously directed Dwayne Johnson in The Scorpion King and Jim Carrey in The Mask.

Junglee opens Friday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 24 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 1 hr. 55 min.

Also new this weekend is the Salman Khan Films production Notebook, starring newcomers Pranutan Bahl and Zaheer Iqbal.

Notebook opens Friday at MovieMax, South Barrington 24, and Cantera 17. It has a listed runtime of 1 hr. 52 min.

Opening in wide release across Chicagoland this weekend is Hotel Mumbai, an English-language fictional retelling of the 26/11 terror attacks starring Dev Patel, Anupam Kher, and Armie Hammer. It sounds problematic.

Kesari carries over at the River East 21, MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera 17, AMC Niles 12 in Niles, AMC Rosemont 18 in Rosemont, and AMC Woodridge 18 in Woodridge.

Badla gets a fourth week at MovieMax, South Barrington 24, Cantera 17, and AMC Naperville 16 in Naperville.

MovieMax holds over Luka Chuppi, the South Barrington carries over Total Dhamaal, and the Woodridge 18 hangs on to Gully Boy.

Other Indian movies showing in Chicago area theaters (all films have English subtitles):