akshay-ak-kumar

I just saw Endgame today morning and at the end, as the credits rolled, I had a small lump in my throat. It was like an end of an era to all the MCU movies I had seen in the last 11 years starting from Iron Man to Captain Marvel.

We have lived our lives with these characters. It just not about their names but also who they are, what they do and how different they are from each other and yet are together for a common cause - to fight the enemies of earth. These movies have made us know them as if they are our friends and well wishers.

So there was a sadness when the end credits rolled as I said good bye to these friends and as Captain America says in this movie "Life has to move on".

Coming back to the movie, hats off to the Russo brothers and the writers to ensure that this is not some revenge drama. This is not a part 2 of Infinity War. Revenge is a very small topic here and the message sent thru the movie is revenge serves no purpose at the end. It is what we can do to make this better again.

I don't want to tell any more details because anyone who like me has loved the MCU movies has to see this movie. It is has all the ingredients - action, drama, emotion and comedy.

The writers also spray in bits and pieces from the past movies and other MCU characters to make it interesting; it is like connecting the dots. I had fun watching those scenes because it is smart writing.

The acting is outstanding and each actor gives their best shot knowing that this is the grand finale. Special mention goes to Hemsworth, Johannson, Evans and above all the man who started it Downey Jr. They take the movie to another level.

Finally, is this the best film in MCU? I say No. This movie is a bit too long for its own good at 181 mins. I feel it could have been 15-20 mins shorter. Also, for me, the Iron Man (part 1), Captain America - The Winter Soldier and Civil War, Thor Raganrok and Black Panther are the best films of the MCU.

However, is this a fitting finale? Yes, it is and a beautiful one. Damm, I am going to miss the Avengers !!

I loved Kingsman Part 1. It was brilliant and something different from the Bond and Bourne spy movies.

Part II or the Golden Circle is a joy ride but a safe one. Mathew Vaughan and his team play it safe here. No risks taken.

So the movie starts with the all the Kingsmans killed and their centres destroyed. The only one surviving is Egsy and Merlin. They go to US to meet the Statesman, their cousins across the Atlantic and discover a drug organization called the Golden Circle headed by Poppy.

As I said earlier, Vaughan and his team are playing safe. So they get back Harry aka Colin Firth from the dead because they very well realized that without him the movie cannot work since he was the star of the 1st part.

The plot is safe and it delivers to a certain extent. But I missed that fun element of the 1st part.

The biggest disppointment is the villain. Part I had Jackson playing the eccentric the villain to the hilt. In this part, Moore is brilliant actress but cannot get that craziness on screen thanks to the poor writing. She has one beautiful scene where she explains how drugs consumption doesn't kills that many people that guns and other items do.

The next disppointment is the villian's henchman. Sofia Boutella was superb as the henchwoman with sword legs. The guy in this squel is passable.

The rest of the cast does a decent job including Bridges, Tatum and Pascal. And what is Halle Berry doing in this film? An Oscar winner a decade back, I cannot believe she is doing such small roles which do no good to her resume.

The only entertaining bits I loved was Bruce Greenwood playing the President of US and seems to be outright copy of Trump as President. And Elton John playing himself captured by Poppy. He is a delight to watch him and is hilarious.

Vaughan also maintains the same tone of the earlier film i.e. the blood and gore and some good action sequences with the crazy background score.

Overall, it is a safe joyride and I hope that Kingsman 3 is on par with 1.

I am delighted to write that finally today's film makers have found nice ways to speak on topics which are still considered taboo is our country.

It started with Sircar's Vicky Donor on Sperm donation, his Piku on constipation, Shakun Batra's Kapoor and Sons which spoke on homosexuality and Subh Mangal Savadhaan (SMS)which speaks on erecticle dysfunction.

SMS like last month's Barelily ki Barfi is set in middle class India, the location changes from Barelily to Delhi. Its starts off on a nice hilarious note of Khurana's Mudit trying to speak to Pednekar's Sughanda and a roadside bear ....yes a bear (watch it to believe it) catches him leaving everyone around him in splits and taking his MMS videos for fun.

They then meet for marriage and slowly fall in love over the next few weeks. Their love is just like any middle class love story. They don't run around trees or sing songs in park or dance in the rain. They behave like normal people and not like the love we see in Johar Chopra films.

So even when we see them trying to make love for the 1st time, they are scared and behave like amatauers. That scene is hilarious and trust me you will not feel odd seeing this with your parents. And that's when Mudit knows he just cannot perform in bed.

From there you have Mudit trying to do his best in resolving his gent's problem and Sughanda doing everything possible to keep him happy. She doesn't want to run away from the problem and face it while Mudit wants to solve his problem to express his love and keep her happy.

And this is where the beauty of the story lies. A man and woman doing their best for the other partner. In another hilarious scene, Sughanda wears some sexy lingerie and takes Mudit for a picnic and then tries to do a role play. The scene initally starts as hilarious but then becomes a emotional one as Mudit realises what she is doing and stops her.

The movies reaches another level when the parents come to know about Mudit's problem. Mudit's parents can't accept it while her father takes him to a Vetinarian for cure and is worried that his daughter will not have kids of her own.

However, the last act falls flat. One can see that the writers run out of ideas and don't know how to end the film. So we have a ridiculous scene where the couple are supposedly making love inside and everyone outside are chit chatting waiting for the result. Or an action packed climax with Jimmy Shergil making one ridiculous cameo.

The one question which always popped my mind was why didn't Mudit go to a doctor and get himself treated?

The performances are top notch. Khurana is turning out to this generation's Amol Palekar or the middle class hero. Armed with simple looks and earnest acting skills, he beautifully performs Mudit and helps us understand his problem.

On the other hand, Bhumi is top notch. It is her 3rd film and she performs like a veteran. And, Khurana and she share a wonderful chemistry.

The rest of the star cast including Bijendar Kala are fantastic. Most of them are unknown faces but rock the show. Kala is hilarious as Sugandha's uncle who always is seeking for respect from everyone younger to him including his brother.

The music is simple and there aren't many songs to spoil it and the middle class Delhi setting is perfect.

Except for the last half hour, the movie is a joy ride and a must watch.