The Wolverine

It may be a little late for the review but I think it is still worth sharing the story. For the uninitiated, Wolverine is a superhero (from the Marvel comics) and is the most iconic character of the X-Men series. This time around, the movie has been shot extensively in Japan and has some thrilling action sequences. The most loved clawed mutant is back… so here it goes....

The movie starts in the World War 2 era, where Logan, the Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) is a POW in Japan near Nagasaki. A bomb attack by America leaves everything destroyed. He manages to rescue a Japanese soldier, Yashida (Haruhiko Yamanouchi) and exposes his abilities to the young soldier. The story then shifts to present day. Logan is living somewhere in the forests in isolation, struggling with his past. He has taken a vow to be non-violent and is secluded from the world. He is followed and tracked by a young girl Yukio ( Rila Fukushima) who convinces him to come to Japan, where, her master Yashida is on his death bed and wishes to meet Logan to say Goodbye. Yashida tries to convince Logan to transfer his mutant powers and immortality to him. Logan declines this request and is all set to leave the next day. His plans however change when Yashida dies and he stays back to attend his funeral. He soon realises that he is caught in the middle of a family feud. Logan ends up becoming the bodyguard of Mariko (Tao Okamoto), Yashida’s grand daughter, whose life is threatened. Why does Yashida want Logan’s power? Why is Mariko in danger? All these questions get answered....eventually...

The movie is well executed and engaging. Hugh Jackman is AMAZINGLY awesome as the Wolverine and is almost synonym with the character. He seems to have worked really hard on physique and appearance. He knows the character well and has a flair for these kind of action movies. There are some breath taking action sequences like the fight on a bullet train or fight between Logan and a mechanical Samurai. He is well equipped to handle all the troubles by himself…well he does have claws for a good reason;) Even the two heroines have performed some great action stunts.This one is to be surely watched by all the X-men series fans and the action movie buffs. A word of caution - This time the movie depicts more of Wolverine’s own feelings and his past rather than the out-and-out action that one has come to expect from the X-Men series. Overall it is a good movie and is sure to entertain all.

PS: Please sit through till the end of the credits as there is a surprise element which should not be missed.

Nidhi

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

AWE-INSPIRING is the story of our “Flying Sikh” - Milkha Singh, an Indian athlete who was a world champion runner and Olympian. His hard work and dedication is unbeatable and moving. His life has been one of endless struggles, a fact which was unknown to most of us. And with equal zeal and hard work his story has been interpreted on the big screen. The movie covers all the aspects of his life beautifully. It is a flawless film with a simple narration and just the perfect amount of emotions, drama, humour and sorrow. There is no comparison here - Farhan Akhtar is hands down the best Milkha Singh anyone could have portrayed. His depiction of Milkha Singh is inspirational and authentic.

The film starts with the 1960 Rome Olympic Games where, while leading in the race he is suddenly haunted by some painful memories of his childhood, because of which he eventually falls to the fourth place. The movie goes into a flashback to the time of partition of India which had caused a lot of chaos in Punjab. This leaves a huge impact on Milkha Singh. The events of the partition make Milkha numb and disjointed from the world for a brief period. He grows up and joins the Indian army in his youth, where he gets noticed by Havaldar Gurudev Singh (Pawan Malhotra). He taps Milkha’s strenghth and perseverance. Gurudev Singh mentors him for his first race for service commission where he gets selected. He trains hard with grit and determination with the aim of winning the Olympics. There is no looking back for Milkha Singh from here. For Melbourne Olympics he is trained by the Indian Coach Ranveer Singh (Yograj Singh). He loses the race in the qualifiers itself, beats himself for it and starts to train hard once again. In the turn of events a friendly match is organised between India & Pakistan which is to be led by Milkha Singh on India’s behalf. He refuses at the very mention of it. What is it that is holding him back? Well what happens is not hard to guess…. but is worth a watch.

Then movie is well crafted and superbly performed. It is kept simple and not unnecessarily glorified. Every actor has an important role and has done full justice to his character. Farhan Akhtar deserves an applause for his performance. He is stupendous and is believable as Milkha Singh. The rigorous training that he has undergone to play this part is quite obvious. Personally for me, he is the epitome of perfection. There are some great moments in the movie which are over-whelming. I particularly liked the scene in which Farhan Akhtar returns with his medals to his base and dedicates his victory and medals to his Guruji (Pawan Malhotra). The transition from sepia tone to current time is effectively done.The movie may seem a little slow to some, but the story and the performances keep you involved. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is clearly one of the best movies this summer. This one is mandatorily to be watched in theatres. I have not rated any movie in my blog till now. But for this great effort I rate it as 5/5 from my side.

Nidhi