Movie Review- Bahubali 2: The Conclusion

Movie - Bahubali 2
Director-  S S Rajamouli
Cast - Prabhash, Rana Dagubatti, Anushka Shetty

You know what has gripped the meme world this last couple of months in India and Nepal? The spoof of "Why did Katappa kill Bahubali?" We get the long-awaited answer to it in Bahubali 2.

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This is Pop Culture Nepal and welcome to one of the most redundant of reviews (as if all our reviews aren't redundant already 😅😅). But I say redundant in that whatever I say here is not gonna stop anyone from watching Bahubali 2: The Conclusion. 🏹🏹

Bahubali 2 is not just about the revelation of the answer to why Katappa did what he did. And that is the start of Bahubali 2's undoing.

In 2015, we were seduced by the Queen of Mahesmati, Shivagami's double edged dilemma in choosing the next king between her two proficient sons Amarendra Bahubali and Bhallaldev. The rivalry that ensues after Shivagami chooses Bahubali over Bhallaldev is explored in the sequel.

At the centre of this clash between brothers is Devasena, a princess of distant land and Bahubali's love interest, and the crown of Mahesmati. As is often the case in stories of kings and kingdoms ( wink wink Game of Thrones) the women are catalysts for much of the drama that unfolds. Here these women are the queen Shivagami and the princess Devasena. Both staunch feminist and never kowtowing to any men. Although the former loses her character traits in falling  prey to hearsay and the latter being captured and ignominiously exhibited at the centre plaza of the kingdom.

But Bahubali 2, unlike its prequel, is stronger in its awe-inspiring graphics than it is in narrative. Albeit I must admit palm trees being used as catapults more than once was a little too on the nose.

The crucial drawback of Bahubali 2, I thought, was the rushed second half where the director throws everything at the screen. It's hard not to feel overwhelmed in the ending sequence. The director just crammed two movies in the span of second half runtime. But also it might have been unscrupulous to not go the whole hog when you've already subtexted your movie "The Conclusion".

All in all, the movie must be commended on the sheer effort and ambition it evinces. Bahubali's sibling rivalry and revenge, and all of the South Asian meme world can finally explode one last time and let matters rest.

Movie Review- Loot 2

Movie -  Loot 2
Director - Nischal Basnet
Cast - Saugat Malla/ Dayahang Rai/ Karma Shakya/ Prateek Raj Neupane/ Sushilraj Pandey/ Alisha Rai/ Reecha Sharma

The four jinxed bank robbers are out of jail and straight up in pursuit of the one who put them there. Amidst a whiff of another bank robbery that is in the fray, how will their luck fare this time around?


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Haku Kale (Saugat Malla) is back in Nepal in hopes of exploiting the fuel crisis there that germinated from India's cowardly blockade. Just few months back Gopal Gurung aka Gofle and his gang escaped from prison thanks to a little help from the mighty earthquake of 2016. Haku is itching for some quick buck on the back of this blockade and the prison breakers are itching to track him down. It doesn't take long for them to encounter one another. The fight that ensues is dirty and drawn out - reminiscent of the ones in the prequel. After some luck and some meddling police help in sparing Haku's life, he immediately starts working on his "master plan" of robbing another bank. The rest is a reminder to the audience about the manipulation and decieving skills of Haku Kale.
Loot 2 starts out promising. The witty remarks from Haku do escalate the audience's expectations but those are quickly quashed by the meandering plot. The cast play their part with finesse. Who would shy away from getting a chance to see Gofle (Dayahang Rai) shake a leg to Sundari Ko Man Ma Basne Ko Hola? Karma is sensational as Naresh and so is Prateek Raj Neupane as the menacing Khatri. The banter between Haku and his wife is rib-tickling. But despite all this Loot 2 seems nothing but a nod to the last movie. While these very scenes in Loot 1, when it released back in 2012, offered a pleasant novelty, but now the very same techniques have been tried and executed better by many a writer/director. Also on a side note: Is there nothing valuable worth robbing in Nepal other than banks? Why not Narayanhiti Durbar for a change?
Troll Nepal remarked that Loot 2 burrows heavily from South Indian Action movies, and it does which I'm not a huge fan of.
Loot 2 feels like a reskinning of its prequel. I understand Nischal Basnet trying to turn it into a brand but I expected a little more from this movie than a shadow of its predecessor.

Team Work Makes Dream Work

Movie - Jolly LLB 2
Actors - Akshay Kumar/ Anu Kapur/ Huma Qureshi
Director -  Subash Kapoor

A jolly lawyer has a guilt on his conscience after an innocent woman offs herself because of him now seeks justice for her.

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Jagdishwar Mishra aka Jolly (Akshay Kumar) is a lowly sidekick to a prominent advocate. After he dupes a widow for some quick buck, she fucking kills herself. And it fucking kills his sleep.
He undergoes a metamorphosis  and goes out of his way to see into the widow's unresolved case.
Pramod Mathor (Anu Kapur) is a time-hardened defence lawyer. While prolific in his profession he is not above quipping mawkish one-liners like "Pramod aur Pepsi apna formula batate nahi." Yet he is the life of the movie. Also on a side note, everytime I saw Anu Kapur in this movie, my mind went #HairGoals. Every fucking time!
Pushpa Panday (Huma Qureshi), beautiful better half of Jolly, like every hindi movie actress has nothing to do except look pretty and dance at the hint of a techno beat.
Saurav Shukla who is reprising his national award winning role as Judge Sundarlal Tripati is fucking hilarious. He has to prepare for his daughter's wedding by dancing to Gulabo and doting on Aalia Bhatt. Like a typical father!
The first half of the movie meanders a touch slower to my liking but it is in the second half that the movie gathers itself and screams forward like a well-oiled machine.
It tackles the issue of corruption, terrorism and shoddy judicial system all the while making you laugh at regular intervals.
Full disclosure:  If I have watched Jolly LLB 1 I don't remember it much to have an opinion about it but its sequel is a solid thriller/satire that may not be everyone's cup of tea but definitely was mine.

Narcos - Indian Edition

Movie - Raees
Director - Rahul Dholakia
Cast - Shah Rukh Khan/ Nawazuddin Siddiqui/ Mahira Khan

A boy with empty pockets but sharp wit and tall ambition grows up to be a key figure in a booze smuggling empire.


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Young Raees is street smart and when Seth (Atul Kulkarni) needs his booze bottles smuggled through a curfew, Raees volunteers. That is the head start he needs in emulating an Escobaresque life. A kid that flamboyant was bound to grow up to be a Shah Rukh Khan. That he does! But every Escobar needs a Steve Murphy, and that Raees finds in the form of a cop Majmudar (The freakishly awesome Nawazuddin Siddiqui). These two relentlessly stumble upon each other so much so that they begin to develop a grudging admiration for one another.
Raees indulges into some Robin Hood shit in the second half with building a resident colony and doling out stationery supplies to poor kids but the moral compass of the movie is still off. Mahira Khan, Shah Rukh's love interest in the movie is little more than a prop, showing up routinely at dance numbers. Speaking of, there are so many songs in this movie that if you removed them the movie would be half the length it is. And as soothing as Zalima is to the ears right now, the only song that makes sense in the movie is Sunny Leone's item song Laila Main Laila.

Raees is fundamentally flawed by hokey one-liners, tad generic storytelling and an overly romanticized ending sequence. But despite all this, this movie shines through as a Shah Rukh Khan showcase though and offers enough for you to enjoy.

Simple And Charming

Movie : Love Sasha
Director: Prachanda Man Shrestha
Cast: Keki Adhikari, Karma and Asif Shah

A girl returns home for her engagement to an NRN, but love, as it is wont to do, has someone else set for her.

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Sasha (Keki Adhikari) is your run-of-the-mill rom-com heroine.
She asks the hotel receptionist to switch the Delhi time on the clock over the main desk with Sydney's because India and Nepal have mere 15 minutes difference in their time zones.
Quirky yet oddly sensible theories - Check ✔
 She lowers her chin and fondles her hair when she sings because people told her when she was little that it looked comely.
Amusing habits - Check ✔
She counts the number of streams and rivers that fall in the route between Kathmandu and Pokhara because she wants to use it in a cheesy dialog in her short story.
Admitting her oddities and pursuing an artistic passion - Check ✔

Sasha is just returning to Pokhara from Australia when she meets Prahlad aka Pearl (Karma), a photographer as well as a heartbroken anchorage to our heroine. Suddenly we feel like we are in Jab We Met territory. He finds her attitude charming, she finds in him a confidant. Love between them is unspoken but palpable. To concoct a classic love triangle out of it, add to the mix, Sid (Asif Shah) to whom Sasha is to be engaged. He is someone who skirts the gray line and makes you root for Pearl and Sasha.

But amidst the tropes, the storytelling of the movie is nuanced, the crises engaging, the dialogues fresh and the direction controlled. Also it was shot mostly in Pokhara, so plus one for that. Love Sasha is a simple and powerful movie that makes you see love from conflicted perspectives. If you love a simple and quiet movie to while away a weekend, Love Sasha could be it.

Dekha Champa – Chhakka Panja | Lyrics & English Translation

Dekha Na Champa, Suna Na Champa

Look Champa, listen Champa

Hamra Ni Tamra Bahek Ko Chha Ra?

Whom do I have beside you?

Tamra Ni Hamra Bahek Ko Chha Ra?

And who else do you have beside me?

Rai Juma Rai Juma Guma Kya Masti Ma Juma

Dekha Na Champa, Suna Na Champa

Look Champa, listen Champa

Hamra Ni Tamra Bahek Ko Chha Ra?

Whom do I have beside you?

Tamra Ni Hamra Bahek Ko Chha Ra?

And who else do you have beside me?

Birana Deska Birana Chalchalti

Strange ways of people of strange countries

Birana Munche Ka Birana Pirati

Strangers and their strange love stories

Thau Birana Vaya Pani Yo Mann Tamra Kaakhai Ma

Even in a strange land my heart goes out to you

Rai Juma Rai Juma Juma Kya Masti Ma Juma

Dekha Na Champa, Suna Na Champa

Look Champa, listen Champa

Hamra Ni Tamra Bahek Ko Chha Ra?

Whom do I have beside you?

Tamra Ni Hamra Bahek Ko Chha Ra?

And who else do you have beside me?

Rai Juma Rai Juma Juma Kya Masti Ma Juma

Sansaar Varika Jindagi Dekhe

I’ve seen people of all places

Tara Champa Tamra Agi Sabai Fikka Vete

But Champa I found every one of them to be a pale shadow compared to you

Mutu Dukahanxa Tamra Yaad Ma

My heart aches when I’m missing you

K Chha Ra Chaampa Tamra Maya Ma?

What secret is there, Champa, in your love?

Ghaam Dubna Lagya Ko Tyo Daadai Ma

The sun is setting over that hill

Chaadai Aauxu Luri Tamra Aadai Ma

I’ll soon return, skinny one, to your arms

Thau Birana Vayeni Yo Maan Tamra Kaakhai Ma

Even in a strange land my heart goes out to you

(Female)

Hmmmm Dekhana Raja Sunana Raja

Look Raja, listen Raja

Hamra Ni Tamra Bahek Ko Chha Ra?

Whom do I have beside you?

Tamra Ni Hamra Bahek Ko Chha Ra?

And who else do you have beside me?

Artists: Krishna Kafle / Deepa Shree Niroula

Album: Chhakka Panja (2016)

Maitighar – Anju Panta / Aasha Bhosle | Lyrics & English Translation

Maitighar = A woman's birth home

Basanta Nai Basna Khojcha Yaha Lolayera

Spring itself wants to stay here infinitely

Yo Ho Mero Prand Bhanda Pyaro

This is my, dearer than life,

Maitighar....Maitighar....Maitighar…

Maitighar… Maitighar… Maitighar…

Euta Phool Phule Yahan Dharti Magmagauchha

The whole earth is fragrant when a flower blooms here

Euta Batti Bale Yahan Jagat Jagmagauchha,

The whole world shimmers when a light burns here

Sukh Shanti Muskauchha Yaha Sadhai Bhari

Joy and peace smile upon this land forever

Luka-Mari Khelchha Jun Yaha Ratai Bhari,

The moon plays hide and seek here the whole night

Yo Ho Mero Prand Bhanda Pyaro

This is my, dearer than life,

Maitighar....Maitighar....Maitighar…

Maitighar… Maitighar… Maitighar…

Akash Lai Chhoyeko Chha Mero Himala Le

My mountain touches the sky

Swarga Lai Lovyauchha Merai Nepala Le,

My Nepal entices heaven itself

Mero Preet Palauchha Sadhai Pahara Ma

My love blossoms on every stalk

Mero Geet Susaunchha Sadhai Chhahara Ma

My song echoes in every waterfall

Yo Ho Mero Prand Bhanda Pyaro

This is my, dearer than life,

Maitighar....Maitighar....Maitighar…

Maitighar… Maitighar… Maitighar…

Basanta Nai Basna Khojcha Yaha Lolayera

Spring itself wants to stay here infinitely

Yo Ho Mero Prand Bhanda Pyaro

This is my, dearer than life,

Maitighar....Maitighar....Maitighar…

Maitighar… Maitighar… Maitighar…

Artists: Anju Panta / Aasha Bhosle

Album: Kampan (2010) / Maitighar (1996)