Rewatching movies

All 80s and 90s kids who have now become adults would forever cherish the era of 2000s. This is simply because this era was iconic in terms of entertainment. Filmmakers war trying something different in this era. They were trying to switch from the tried and tested formulas and create movies based on the topics which were not explored. Filmmakers wanted to skip the iconic songs which had their own identity in the Indian Film Industry. They wanted to use music only in backgrounds rather than having full 5 minutes songs. Most filmmakers were exploring different concepts and ground breaking ideas. Some film maker also wanted to check if films with darker tones would be enjoyed by the movie lovers. The early 2000s also marked the return of horror or supernatural genre of films. One of such iconic horror films was Bhoot which gained popularity and became a cult classic.

Bhoot was directed by Ram Gopal Varma (RGV) who is known to be a director with experimental films. RGV had also directed another iconic or or movie called as Raat. Untoutedly Bhoot becam a movie that brought back the popularity of horror movies in the Indian Film Industry.

I remember the popularity of Bhoot. This film was expected to fail but the audience made a decision to make it a blockbuster. I remember the hype of this film. All shows being sold out, all theatres wanting to have more number of shows, and other films were pushing their release date ahead to avoid the clashes. Many people got scared after watching this movie. They started feeling unknown presence in their homes. Some people died in the theatre due to the visuals. The theatres and film makers had offered attractive rewards to watch this film alone. I remember going into the theatre to watch the movie and I understood the hype. The movie definitely was exceptional.

In 2026 I decided to reach this movie to test whether it is still relevant in today's time. And here what I thought about it.
Story: the story is still relevant today. A couple moving into a new home and experience in Haunting is not a new idea. The couple shown here is from a middle class family, living in a crowded city, and trying to find their safe place - this idea would still deeply connect with the audience.
The add on characters: all characters in this film are unique and memorable despite of the screen time that they get. Day somehow still feel connected to the movie and have a good impact on the film. The old woman from the neighbourhood who does not speak a word, Manjeet mother and son, the security guard - these are some of the characters who are in the movie for a very short time but still they make an impact.
Supporting characters: All supporting characters even and their minor role or remarkable. Each character has unique traits. The house help played by the legendary Seema Biswas is outstanding. Her catch please "aaj ka kam khatm" gained popularity back then and its still remember today.
Atmosphere: The atmosphere building is perfect for the horror genre. There are no unnecessary effects like the green light, fog, or mist to show the ghost's a presence. The film also did not use any special effects or a creepy prostatic makeup. Eerie effect is mainly phone using trees and shadows. Transition effects use simple movements like elevator or car commute. Young and Aspiring film makers should definitely study this aspect to understand the atmosphere building.
Background score: I was not particularly thrilled by the background score back then and hated it even today.
Pace and acting: all actors in their rules have delivered a strong performance. Urmila Matondkar Bheem the top most performer. This is a slowburner film. It takes comfortable time to build the atmosphere, character, and the horror elements, but it never becomes boring.

Overall I can see Bhoot still stood the test of time. It could very well be considered as a catalyst to revive the horror in the Indian Film Industry. Even today it still is one of the best horror films ever made by an Indian filmmaker. Watching it today I still felt it's relevance even after over 20 years from its release. Even today it is going to receive applause from me.

Overall I would say those were to and half hours well spent.

Vishal Bharadwaj is the filmmaker who has given us some brilliant and unforgettable masterpieces. One of such brilliant films was Omkara (2006) which was an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello. When the film was released it received a widespread acclaim. The direction, screenplay, and the performances were praised. I remembered watching this film when it was telecasted. The teenage me could barely understand the complexity of this film. But I was impressed with the performances and music.

In 2026, I decided to rewatch this film, mainly to analyse if it is still relevant. Here's what ai think:
Presentation: The film is shot brilliantly. While watching it, I felt as if I am with the characters in a small town in Uttar Pradesh. Not even slightly I felt that it was shot somewhere else.
Language: Mumbai born me had difficulty in understanding the UP based Hindi at the first instance. This time as well I had some difficulty, however I could understand it thanks to the subtitles.
Music: The music is superb. However now I feel that some songs could have been avoided or at least shortened. Songs featuring beautiful Bipasha Basu such as "Beedi" and "Namak" now feel irrelevant. These songs were highly popular back then. However these songs do not help much to the narrative. These could have been shortened. Also the soothing number "O saathi re" which shows the playful relationship of the lead characters could have been shortened. I love the album however the placement of the songs unnecessarily lengthen the film.
Storytelling: The storytelling part is amazing. This film takes its own time to build the premise and the characters. However it is the part that makes this a strong movie. Though I had my doubts about the misunderstanding which makes the whole movie what it is. It is not believable how a person can manipulate so many people without any evidence. Especially when Omkara's character is considered to be intelligent.
Performances: Performances are brilliant across the board. Kareena Kapoor shows the playful, vulnerable, and innocent side. Konkona Sen Sharma portrays a responsible sister, faithful wife, and loyal friend masterfully. Vivek Oberoi shines in his minor but impactful role. Ajay Devgn appears as a real life goon. Other actors in their respective roles do justice to their work. Saif Ali Khan was praised for him performance back them, making him a star and winning several awards. I did not like his performance back then and even now. I sense a very peculiar dialect in his speech which is often seen in NRIs or foreign returnees. His performance was not convincing and believable for me. I was genuinely surprised to see young Pankaj Tripathi in the film. Bipasha Basu's potential is wasted in this film. She appears in songs and has been assigned with a couple of dialogues.

Overall I felt that the film is still relevant. In today's era of content based film, Omkara is still a good watch. The portrayal of power, politics, rivalry, relationship, and betrayal make this a brilliant film even today. If you are in for a thoughtful film, I would recommend you to watch Omkara.

I am an avid movie lover. I particularly do watch any movie if it does not cost me a lot. I watch a lot of movies that are freely available on various streaming platforms. One such movie that I recently rewatched was The Holiday. Rewatching this movie brought back a lot of memories. Also this time when I watched, I watched it with a purpose.

Purpose was to see if this movie is still relevant today. Here is what I thought.
Plot: The plot of this movie is significantly weak. A woman who lives in the UK exchanges for home with another woman who lives in the US. They decide this home exchange on a very short notice at the time of Christmas holidays. The deal is to spend two weeks in each others houses. After 2 weeks they should return to their original homes. In these two weeks the women realise that the life that they had spend in the other woman's house and life is better. They decide to switch their lives forever. The first time when I had watched the movie I liked this plot. Now I can see that why this plot was heavily criticized when the movie was released. It is unbelievable that the women find air tickets easily at the Christmas time. It is not believable that how easily they plan their visit and get everything done. It is rather impossible. So the plot completely it's unbelievable and not suitable for the modern times.
Stereotyping: in Hollywood I have always seen this stereotype that British are always rude and Americans are always kind and friendly. This stereotype is been continued in this film as well. The film also shows that how UK is still backward as compared with the US. I wonder how the British actors agreed to this plot (money I guess).
Visuals: The visuals of this movie are great by the way. The UK covered in the snow and the US warm and Sunny has been shown in the movie. However all the visuals that have been shown in the film are amazing.
Performance: oh boy! I was so embarrassed to watch the performances. All the actors are acting over the top. I guess it was one of the trends of 2000s rom-com movies. Their acting is really really bad. It is very apparent that they are trying to show that they are acting. Probably somewhere during the shoot the actors must have realised that this movie is going to tank and they must have given up. It is sad to see talented actors like Kate Winslet and Jude Law in such a bad movie product. Cameroon Diaz acts like herself in the movie. Not a single actor could have saved this atrocious movie.
Entertainment quotient: is this movie entertaining is the burning question. It is entertaining if you decide that you are okay with a movie where logic is not needed. If you are looking for a feel good movie without thinking much then it is probably for you. If I were not to analyse and just watch for entertainment then I would have definitely loved this movie.

Overall I felt that I lost my 90 minutes of time while watching this movie which I am not going to get it back. I wish I could have watched some other movie then this one.

The decade of 2010s was absolutely wonderful. This decade continued the attempt of experimental films which had started a decade before. The Indian Film Industry was constantly experimenting with new genre and topics. Sometimes these topics were dark. One such attempt being "Love, s#x, aur dhoka" (herein after referred to as the film). This film was made on a very low budget with actors who were not well recognised and with limited resources. There were no particular expectations from this film. However when it released in the theatres in 2010, it became of smashing hit.

I watched this movie several years later, released on OTT platform. In 2026 I decided to reach this movie to see whether it is still relevant today. Here is what I thought:
Plot: the plot involve three stories which are interconnected. An aspiring director and actress fall in love, elope, get married, but get eventually killed in the name of "honor killing" (Love). A store employee makes an intimate tape on CCTV and sells it to pay his debts (s#x). A journalist carries out a sting operation and uncovers a "casting couch" scandal with the help of an aspiring model (Dhokha). The honor killings still happen today. Intimate videos are still being shot, sold, and often use for bribing/blackmailing. Casting couch is still very well known in the entertainment industry. So I believe these stories are still relevant today.
Storytelling: the story telling in this film is really interesting. It uses the same approach that has been used by Blair witch project or paranormal activities franchise. The entire film is shown in form of found footage, hidden cameras, and CCTV footage. I believe this is the first "found footage" type of film which is not a horror film. It is interesting to see this type of concepts. Also we see that there are several scenes in this film which have odd angles where the faces of the actors are not clearly visible in the film which adds more layers to the unique look of this film.
Performance: all actors deliver a wonderful performance. The characters conversations and movements feel very real. It does not feel as if the actors are acting. They appear like the regular people. They look very relatable.
Pace: this film is moderately paced. It neither rushes through the narrative nor slows it down. It takes time to build the characters and the plot which is perfectly adequate. So it feels as if the filmmakers believe that the audience are intelligent and leave a lot of things for the viewers to figure out. The runtime of this film is adequate. It does not overstay its welcome.
Relevance: in my opinion this film is extremely relevant today. Rather it is more relevant today then it was back then. In today's world where the privacy and data of protection are the growing concerns this film covers it in a very masterful manner. The film definitely was ahead of this its time considering the concepts of data privacy and data protection.

Overall I would say this film is entertaining and extremely relevant. It still remains true to its core even today. It asks relevant questions about privacy, morality, money, and fame. I would definitely suggest each person to watch a rewatch this film. You will definitely find the relevance and you will definitely think more about whether your data is protected.