If you’re looking for a movie that will have you laughing until you’re doubled over, then Madgaon Express, directed by Kunal Khemu, is a must-watch!

Three childhood friends, Dodo, Pinku, and Ayush, set out for a fun-filled vacation to Goa, only to find themselves entangled in chaos when they mistakenly switch bags with a dangerous drug dealer. From encounters with eccentric gangsters to navigating police pursuits, the trio goes through a series of hilarious predicaments, showcasing their camaraderie amidst the madness.

Divyenndu’s portrayal of Dodo adds levity with his comedic timing, complemented by Pratik Gandhi and Avinash Tiwary’s charismatic performances as Pinku and Ayush, respectively. The writing delivers punchy humour while the direction keeps the pace brisk, ensuring non-stop entertainment.

Madgaon Express is highly recommended for its blend of laughter, adventure and friendship, offering a refreshing take on the classic buddy comedy genre.

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Laapataa Ladies, directed by Kiran Rao, is a delightful comedy-drama that combines humour with insightful social commentary.

Set in rural India, this film follows the amusing story of two brides, Phool (Nitanshi Goel) and Pushpa (Pratibha Ranta), who are mistakenly swapped during a chaotic train journey to their husbands’ homes. This mix-up sets the stage for a series of humorous events exploring deeper themes of identity and societal expectations.

What sets this film apart is its ability to take a seemingly simple story and intricately knit it into something unique and compelling. The film’s narrative is driven by witty dialogues and well-timed situational comedy, keeping the audience engaged throughout. The film subtly features moments of poignant reflection, particularly through its supporting characters, who add depth and nuance to the narrative. Kiran Rao ensures a balanced tone, making the film both entertaining and thought-provoking. Laapataa Ladies on Netflix is sure to leave you entertained and uplifted.

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The Archies is a Hindi teen musical comedy, featuring beloved characters from the famous American comic series, The Archies. Directed by Zoya Akhtar, and streaming on Netflix, it is set in the fictional Anglo-Indian community of Riverdale in 1964 India.

Archie (Agastya Nanda), Betty (Khushi Kapoor), Veronica (Suhana Khan), Reggie (Vedang Raina), Jughead (Mihir Ahuja), and the rest of the gang navigate youth, friendships, first loves, and the future of Riverdale, as developers threaten to destroy a beloved park.

The soundtrack is composed by Ankur Tewari, The Islanders, Aditi “Dot” Saigal and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

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The duo always entertains us without hurting anybody’s religious sentiments. Such an awesome team they are! True entertainers who put a smile on our faces if it’s comedy and make us dance if it’s their music.

Jordindian is an Indian sketch comedy and YouTube sensation that consists of Naser Al Azzeh and the bespectacled Vineeth “Beep” Kumar. While Naser is from Jordan, Vineeth is from India, south India if you really want to know. Vineeth has interviewed the likes of Shahrukh Khan, A. R. Rahman, Salman Khan, Mika, to name a few, for his former stint as a 9XE tuber, as an associate of the music channel 9XE. The common thread between the two entertainers: the need to make people laugh. 

The duo who can crack you up with their comedy, first achieved fame with their 2018 music video Smoke Shisha Play FIFA. Though they released four subsequent music videos trending widely on YouTube, they have primarily focused on producing comedy sketches which are based on youth culture in India, highlighting the differences between their respective cultures.

On 27 May 2019, they uploaded their second music video Fasting And Furious that got 400,000 views within three hours, and their Types Of Doctors video earned 1,000,000 views in the first day itself. Their sketches are mostly centered on South Indian life and their style is a fusion of modern Indian, Jordanian, and Western cultures. They released their third song Exam Time in April 2020 and even through the nationwide lockdown, they released a song called Locked Up In The Lockdown and in late last year they released Eat Sleep Binge Repeat.

Their names today are one of the most recognizable ones on the Indian YouTube creators’ landscape racking up millions of views on every video. They have put together their love for films, pop culture and hip-hop for the videos they created, and take inspiration from conversations and situations in their day-to-day lives. Their devoted fan following grows daily as they are seen in live shows and make appearances all over the country. VERUS FERREIRA spoke to them to know about what really gets them that insane number of views and makes them so popular.

You were college buddies, how did each plan the way to go into comedy and of course how did you guys meet and form Jordindian?
Vineeth: Nas was sharing a Russel Peters joke with one of his friends, and I was eavesdropping on them. “I said: yeah, I’ve heard that joke and that was how we got to talking to each other. We rode back on the same bus that evening and realized that we are really neighbours!”

Tell us something about what you did before starting Jordindian.
Nas: I was into break dancing and was the founder of a break dance group Black Ice Crew. I was doing a course in HR management; Vineeth was into hip-hop beat boxing and was working in television production. One day, we decided to try making a video together, just to see if it would work. Vineeth was skeptical about whether the idea Jordindian would take off.

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Genre: Hindi horror comedy
Run time: 141 min
Release platform: Disney+ Hotstar Premium
Director, writer: Raghavendra Lawrence
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kiara Advani, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Sharad Kelkar, Rajesh Sharma, Ashwini Kalsekar
IMDB rating: 2.2/10; My rating: 5/10

Background: Laxmii is a 2020 Hindi comedy-horror film written and directed by Raghavendra Lawrence as his first Bollywood directorial. This remake of his own 2011 Tamil film Kanchana, stars Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani in the lead roles.

Aasif (Akshay Kumar) is a marble and granite businessman who is also some sort of ‘ghostbuster’ with an organisation that dispels myths and taboos about ghosts, jinns and spirits. Asif’s character is such a rationalist that he publically commits to wear chudiyaan (bangles) if he ever encounters a real ghost someday. Seems like Raghavendra couldn’t risk his superstar’s on-screen macho image, hence we see a paradigm shift in the protagonist’s image from a timid guy in Kanchana to a macho, rationalist ghostbuster in Laxmii.

Sharad Kelkar (Laxmii) has a relatively small yet strong role which actually adds a good pace in the second half. Sharad has been proving his acting acumen since 2004. He made his television debut on the show Aakrosh which was aired on Doordarshan and after that there was no looking back. He has worked with great actors on numerous TV shows and movies like Tanhaji, Ram Leela, Housefull 4 and many more.

The remaining cast including Ayesha Raza Mishra, Ashwini Kalsekar, Rajesh Sharma and Manu Rishi Chadha were the annoying characters who put you off with their loud humour which failed to turn into laughter or claps.

Logic is what we have never expected from the genre ‘Bollywood horror’ so its absence here was not disappointing. But Akshay changing four outfits within ten seconds in the same shot during the dining table sequence was a sheer murder of logic!

Storyline: Rashmi and Asif plan to visit the former’s estranged family to seek blessings and validation for them on their elopement and inter-caste marriage, especially from Rashmi’s father Sachin (Rajesh) who has disowned Rashmi after her marriage. Sachin’s love for lemongrass tea proves to be a fulcrum on which Asif tries to balance his marriage and the father-daughter love deficiency, but little do they know that their family reunion would soon turn into a run-in with a bloodthirsty spirit of a transgender, who seeks revenge on her wrongdoers.

Despite the sloppy screenplay, slow story, clichéd punches and uninteresting music, Akshay manages to deliver some thrills in the Bam Bholle song and the climax sequences with Sharad Kelkar. The song Bhurj Khalifa was a real pain to the ears for many, yet Kiara’s energetic performance let viewers sit through the whole song (a benefit of OTT streaming is that you can skip such songs like I did).

The first half was really slow and boring in which the whole cast tried to create a build-up to reach the point where Akshay is taken to a peer baba for his chastening; from here the film changes gear and Sharad Kelkar enters. The sari shop scene was a hard one to contemplate and execute as that was the point where we see the actual transition of Akshay from Asif to Laxmii. But the question arises: was the ghost real? Was Asif really possessed by some spirit? Ironically speaking, did Asif really wear bangles as committed? Was all the hype created during the initial 60 minutes really worth the climax? Check it out for yourself on Disney+ Hotstar Premium.

My verdict: Viewers are recommended not to judge Laxmii as just-a-Hindi-remake of super-hit Kanchana to avoid creating biases, especially if you have watched Kanchana. I’ll rate Laxmii a more generous 5/10 and that too only for Akshay and Sharad’s flawless justification of a transgender character. Akshay scores a brownie point for trying to do something out of his comfort zone and adding one more social issue to his portfolio after OMG — Oh My God!, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Pad Man, etc.

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EROS INTERNATIONAL, Rs 299

Cast: Diana Penty, Abhay Deol, Jimmy Shergill, Ali Fazal, Javed Sheikh, Momal Sheikh
Director: Mudassar Aziz

Comparisons have always been made when it comes to films and songs. And this Hindi film is no less. If in Bajrangi Bhaijaan, the adorable little girl Shahida gets stuck in India and has to be taken back to Pakistan, here it’s the opposite when Happy (Diana Penty), on the run from her own wedding, ends up in Lahore by mistake. The plot is also a tad similar to the Julia Roberts Hollywood starrer Runaway Bride. Writer-director Mudassar Aziz constructs a winning effort in his ‘happy’ movie that should keep you in a jolly mood.

Small-town girl Happy is all set to be married to local bully and corporator Daman Singh Bagga (Jimmy Shergill). But Happy has her heart set on the good-for-nothing Guddu (Ali Fazal) with whom she plans to elope one day. As planned, on her wedding day, she jumps into a fruit truck that will take her to her lover, but unknowingly ends up in the wrong truck filled with floral material headed to Lahore, Pakistan. Crossing the border she finds herself in the home of a Pakistani diplomat, whose son Bilal Ahmed (Abhay Deol) is horrified to find a young lady seated in his house. With help from his mother and their servants, he tries to hide the intruder away from his father.

The fun starts back in Punjab where Guddu doesn’t know where his girl has vanished, and Bagga is angry at Happy’s family for ditching him. Meanwhile in Pakistan, Bilal, who is being groomed to become “the next Jinnah”, volunteers to help Happy reunite with Guddu so he can get her off his back, and in turn get back with his snobbish wife Zoya (Momal Shiekh). The family plans to visit India and meet Guddu. Will Bilal’s plan work out or will he be caught trying to help his unknown friend?

The music is peppy and goes well with the theme of the film. The track Happy Oye sung by Harshdeep Kaur and Shaid Mallya is refreshing. You have a galaxy of singers from Mika Singh, Neeti Mohan, Tarranum Malik and Danish Sabri who fine tune the Punjabi rap song Gabru Ready to Mingle Hai. Other notable tracks include the qawwali-based Aashiq Tera, the very soulful Zara Si Dosti and the balladic Yaaram.

Clocking in at a little over two hours, Happy Bhag Jayegi keeps you wondering what will happen next. The very westernised Penty tries hard to make her role of an Amritsar girl convincing. The jokes are bearable, with the supporting cast giving a few laugh-out-loud moments. As a true Bollywood-styled film, it is enjoyable.

Despite being banned in Pakistan, this film has a lovely storyline across both India and Pakistan. It shows a positive side to Pakistan and the friendship between both countries.

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SONY DADC, Rs 299

Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Arjun Khan, Ranjit Kapoor, Swaroop Sampat, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan
Director: R. Balki

R. Balki’s previous films (Cheeni Kum, Shamitabh), fared average at the box office, except Paa that was top-notch. His latest flick Ki & Ka was a success, more due to the fact that it had Kareena Kapoor to bring in the big bucks. While viewers always welcome bonus features or a Bonus DVD that shows the making of this film, or even deleted scenes, none are present on this DVD.

This romance-comedy takes off with Kia (Kareena Kapoor), a successful marketing manager at an FMCG company, whose whole life is focused on her career and nothing else. Arjun Kapoor is Kabir, an MBA graduate and the son of a rich builder, who has no interest in following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a corporate bigwig. Ki and Ka meet on a flight and after a few dates, decide to get married.

With no job in hand, Kabir looks after the day-to-day affairs at their rented home, a house they share with Kia’s mother (Swaroop Sampat). He is a master at cooking, cleaning and looking after the house. His love for trains goes overboard as he decorates the flat to resemble a railway museum, complete with a miniature train that ferries breakfast from the kitchen to the living room table. The kids would surely love this part of the film. But soon the landlord of their house decides to sell the house. Kabir, not wanting to move out due to his love for his trains, decides to buy it. To make up the money required, he passes his time teaching young married women to keep fit. Soon, the house is theirs.

Meanwhile, Kia’s work gets her accolades and she is promoted. During an interview, she mentions her husband’s role in looking after the house. The interviewer is impressed, more so when Kia takes an interview of Kabir also in which he explains that it does not matter if ki (girl) takes up the role of ka (boy) and ka takes up the role of ki.

The tables are turned and Kabir is hounded for interviews and speeches on gender equality. Jealousy creeps into the relationship; the once-confident, go-getter Kia becomes insecure while Kabir is as cool as a cat. Will Ki and Ka sort out their differences?

The new generation can learn about gender equality, and most importantly that your gender does not limit you to specific works or bind you to be a breadwinner.

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